The Maurander's Madam
by WendyGold
Summary: *Story Starts Out Rated T* A darkness is swirling around the school as the First Wizarding War looms, building and getting bigger. Evy Graham is trying to keep her friends together and alive while fighting her own feelings of love towards he infamous Sirius Black. Can Evy help her friends and save the man she loves? And what's to become of the men who love her?
1. The Beginning

Eveline stared at the Hogwarts express with a mixture of wonder, excitement and fear. Today was the first day of the rest of her life. Or so she hoped. At the very least, it was her first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. She had heard tales from her two older sisters about how magical the school was both inside and out. The unique people, the friendly ghosts, the bizarre creatures and the magnificent castle.

Evy was shaking in her Chuck Taylors by the time she was ready to board.

"Girls," her father barked at them, rounding up the three blonde girls.

Evy bounced up and down, ready to burst at the seams with excitement. Her oldest sister, Tabitha, a seventh year Ravenclaw prefect was examining her chipped nail polish and staring behind her. Her friends were waiting for her by the train's entrance. Beth, the middle sister and a fifth year Hufflepuff Keeper, crossed in arms in an annoyed huff, waiting for their father's speech to be over.

"Now all of you behave. And write to me and your mother every week. You know how much she looks forwards to your letters," he smiled, his eyes watering up as he looked at each of them. "You know she doesn't get outside much anymore. You're really all she has to look forward to." A punch of sadness hit Evy square in the gut. She already missed her mom. She had given her a gentle kiss on the cheek. She had to be very gentle with her mother these days. The cancer was spreading, her hair had fallen out, but the family remained hopeful that somehow she would pull through long enough to see her three daughters all graduate from Hogwarts.

Evy's father coughed. "Tabby, Beth, look after your sister. Make sure she's comfortable and that she knows where she's going. I don't want to hear either of you two picking on her, do you understand me?" Their father straightened up. His large, American football player physique scared them into submission and both girls nodded, turning their full attention back to their father. He softened a little once they nodded.

"And Evy, enjoy this. Your first week will be a bit scary, but fear can be a good thing. Embrace it." Evy smiled. So much like her dad to try and be logical. No wonder he had been a Ravenclaw when he went to Hogwarts. Tabby was smart too when she focused on books rather than boys. "Remember," their father continued, "we will be proud of you whichever house you get sorted into. Your mother was a proud Hufflepuff. Remember that and so were both of your grandmothers and your grandfather. Don't let your magical background go to your head. Be good to the muggle borns too. They can be very powerful. Don't underestimate yourself, Evy. Most of all, do your best in school."

With their father's longwinded lecture over, the girls gave him a big hug and he bent down, kissing each of them on top of their bright, blonde heads. The he stepped back into the throng of tall parents and watched as one-by-one, his little girls disappeared into the red train.

Tabby vanished with her group on prefect Ravenclaw friends into their own, special compartment. Beth sighed and pointed down the long corridor, filled with young adults trying to sort themselves into compartments with friends. "Most of the first years will be down at the end of the train. Go and meet some people. And don't forget your robes." Beth then marched off down several compartments until she met her best friend, Olivia. Evy strode by, but Beth stopped her and pointed down the hall. "Go meet people," she said before sliding the compartment door closed in front of Evy.

Evy heaved a sigh. This was going to be a long day. She wanted to cry. She ferreted through groups of students, all different ages, from first years through seventh years. A few older-looking people, probably professors, were scattered throughout the train as well. Finally she reached the last compartment. Two boys were sitting and arguing about Quidditch.

Evy poked her head in and they stopped talking. "Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

The taller boy with large, black glasses and jet black hair nodded. But the smaller boy with a mass of dark brown locks and a crooked smiled said. "Hold up, James. Before she sits here, she has to answer a question."

"Huh?" the boy named James said, looking confused.

"We have to make sure she's not just another girly girl who wants to sit here. What's your name?" the brown haired boy asked.

"It's Evy. And who are you?" Evy crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"I'm Sirius," he said.

"So am I," Evy said. "What's your name?" she asked again.

"Sirius," he said, his face deadpan and sincere. James laughed.

"Yes, I'm serious," Evy said. "I told you my name. What's yours?" she asked a third time.

"Sirius, Sirius Black. At your service madam," he said, jumping out of his seat and bowing in front of her. Evy's jaw dropped. James double over, howling with laughter.

"Sorry," she said, her face blushing bright pink, the tips of her ears turning red. "I didn't mean to make fun of your name. I just…"

"Yeah, family name," Sirius smirked. "I get it all the time. So, ready for your question Evy?" She nodded. "The Chudley Canons or the Montrose Magpies for the League Cup?"

Evy looked between Sirius and James and now she laughed. "That's what you're arguing over? God, neither of them. The Ballycastle Bat for sure!"

James' bewildered expression made Evy laugh even harder, so hard that her ribs began to throb beneath her hands. "The Ballycastle Bats? You must be crazy," James exclaimed. "They have Duncan McCain as their Seeker. He's as good as blind!"

"Is not!" Evy defended in a huff as her laughter died down. "He caught the snitch the last three matches in a row! That hasn't been done in over two years."

"So what?" Sirius chimed in, patting the seat next to him with a cheesy grin. "I bet you that the Montrose Magpies are going to win this year. Their new keeper doesn't let anything get past him."

Evy entered and sat down, a bit relieved to have met some people she could at least talk to for the ride to Hogwarts. Who knew what house they might be sorted into after all? Best not to get too friendly yet. They might end up being in Slytherin…

"'Scuse me?" a tall blonde boy with neatly trimmed hair stopped by the door. "Looks like everywhere else is full. Can I sit here?" he asked, his bright blue eyes shining cheerily.

"Sure thing!" Sirius said, pointing to the spot across from Evy.

"Hey, he didn't answer the question!" Evy complained, crossing her arms over her chest. "Totally unfair guys."

"Well he's a boy and you're a girl," Sirius said. James rolled his eyes.

"No duh," Evy said, glaring at Sirius.

"So what's your name?" Sirius asked the blonde boy, ignoring the girl beside him who was now sticking out her tongue.

"Remus Lupin," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake. Sirius looked at his hand, confused but shook it nonetheless. So proper for a kid their age. "And who are you lot?"

"I'm James," James announced, puffing out his chest. "That's Sirius," he said, pointing at Sirirus' chest. "And this apparently is Evy," James aid nodding to Evy.

"Evline Graham," Evy said, holding out her hand to Remus. He shook it with a firm grip and a warm smile. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Remus said, releasing her hand.

"You're a Graham?" James asked, his eyes bulging wide. "My uncle is best friend with a Graham. Do you know a David Graham?" James asked, bouncing in his seat like an excited puppy.

"Yeah, he's my uncle," Evy blushed.

"No wonder she likes the Bats, James. Her uncle is one of the Beaters!" Sirius howled, laughing a little while James stared at Evy in wonder.

"Can you get me his autograph?" James swooned. "He's one of the best Beaters in the League! Really, he's amazing. How he ended up on such a horrible team, Lord only knows. Bad spot of luck I guess." James stooped himself, his ears turning bright red. Sirius laughed harder.

"Who are the Ballycastle Bats?" Remus asked.

"The Bats?" a voice squeaked outside of their door. A short, brown haired boy with an angelic face and cute, hamster cheeks stood outside their compartment. "They're great! I bet they sweep the whole League this year!"

"Agreed!" Evy said, beaming at the boy. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Peter," he said. "Peter Pettigrew."

"Well Peter, you can sit by me." She patted the seat beside her and glared at Sirius. "At least he has good taste!" She stuck her tongue out at the boys again.

At that moment, the train lurched forward and off they went…

***Hi everyone! This is my first fanfiction so please please review and let me know what you all think!

I have another story on (definitely rated M though) called "Come Fly With Me," so feel free to wander over they and read as well. Thank you!


	2. Sorting Hat

"Anything off the trolley dears?" asked a middle-aged woman with brown hair in a long ponytail as she pushed a squeaking sweets trolley past the compartment.

James grinned at her. "Five of everything!" he exclaimed before pulling out a small sack that jingled, coins rattling around inside. Peter helped pass around treats to the group as James passed down three galleons to the lady who smiled and pushed the trolley down the corridor.

"Thanks James," they all chimed as filled up on chocolate frogs, licorice wands and butterbeer. Remus pulled out a stack of playing cards and taught the group how to play five hundred rummy to pass some of the time.

"So what house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Remus asked the group as he called rummy and pulled the pile towards him, laying down three fives in front of him.

"I bet I'll be in Slytherin," Sirius cringed. "Almost my entire family has ended up in there." The group grimaced. Every bad witch and wizard came from Slytherin.

"I think I'll be in Hufflepuff," Peter said. "I don't know why, but I think it'll suit me. Plus the name sounds funny."

Everyone snickered. "I bet I'll be in Ravenclaw," Lupin said. "Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure."

"Gryffindor, for sure. Just like my parents," James beamed.

"It's a toss. Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw," Evy sighed. If only she knew which would be better. She saw herself as a Ravenclaw like her dad and Tabby, but choosing to be a Ravenclaw meant turning her back on her mother's house. Something about that made Evy's stomach churn with guilt. She should want to be a Hufflepuff like her mother.

"Well, we don't really know for sure, do we?" Remus said, frowning as Sirius laid down three aces.

"One thing I know for sure is I'm kicking your arses in this game. Great idea Remus!" Sirius smirked.

"Excuse me?" a red headed girl with bright green eyes and freckles splattered across her nose and cheeks popped inside their compartment. "Have any of you seen a boy? About this tall, black hair? His name is Severus. He went to get us some food but then he disappeared.

James' jaw dropped as he stuttered, trying to find words. "Catching flies James?" Evy asked. She had seen that look before. Plenty of guys gave her sisters that same look.

"Sorry, haven't seen a boy named Severus," Peter said, smiling at her. Remus shook his head no.

The girl sighed. "Oh drat! I don't know where he's gone to."

"What's your name? If we see him, we'll let him know you were looking for him," Sirius suggested.

"I'm Lily. Lily Evans" she smiled. "Thanks, I guess I'll see you guys at the sorting."

"Bye Lily," Evy waved as Lily turned on her heels and bounced away.

"I think I'm in love," James said, finally gaining back his ability to speak.

"Way to make a first impression fish face," Sirius said. He hung his jaw low, his tongue lolling out to the side, imitating James. James punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey guys, people are walking around with their robes on. I guess we should put ours on," Evy suggested, standing up.

The all changed into their robes. Evy shook the sleeves, which were so long they brushed her fingertips. The material was old and worn, but comfortable. She kicked the edge of the robe with her sneakers. The black robe trailed behind her when she walked.

"Did you shrink?" Sirius asked her as she walked in circles, trying not to trip over her long robe.

"No. My robes used to belong to my sisters, but they were always a little taller than me. Usually my mom hems our clothes, but she was too sick this summer, and… well, I'll fit into them some day." Evy trailed off. She didn't want to talk about her mother right now.

Peter put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. I know a spell for this sort of thing. Want me to try?" His blue eyes twinkled and made Evy smile. She nodded, blinking back tears.

Peter pulled out his wand and muttered an incantation that Evy didn't understand. He traced his wand from the bottom of Evy's sleeve and up and inch. He pulled his wand away and the material seemed to shrink, then disappear before their very eyes. The fabric now tickled the edge of her wrist, the perfect length. He did the same to her other sleeve and the bottom of her robe. Though it was still a bit baggy, at least now Evy would not trip and fall on her face as they walked into the school.

"Wow, thank you!" Evy gushed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Peter blushed. "My mom used to make dresses. She taught me a few charms. She died in a car crash a few years ago."

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that Peter," Evy said, wrapping her arms around his round middle in a tight hug.

Peter shrugged and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He wrapped an arm around her and gave her a soft pat on the back. He looked bewildered. The others tried not to laugh.

The train chugged to a sudden halt. Evy let go and the five of the glanced out of the compartment window.

The navy sky outside was lit with twinkling stars, but the school remained hidden. Loud bustling could be heard throughout the train as students filed out through the corridor, chatting and laughing. After several minutes, the five of them made their way out of the train and onto the platform.

"First years, over here!" a booming voice echoed around the group. "First years, this way." An extreme tall and robust man with a bushy brown beard, wild brown hair and warm, chocolate eyes stood of to the side, waving his hands and smiling. A pack of young students huddled around him. Some were gawking at him. Others were too nervous, bouncing on the balls of their feet. The group of five scared but excited first years went to join the throng of new students.

"Is that all?" The tall man asked no one in particular. "Right. Well, you lot. Listen up now. I'm Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds here at the school. We're going to get a move on, but first some rules." Hagrid stood tall, straightening his back. Some of the nearby students backed away. His voice boomed over them like thunder.

"No pushing or shoving each other. Stay in the boats. Can't have the giant squid getting to you lot on your first day. I'll be dropping you off at the front gates. Professor Adeleby will meet you lot there. Until then, stay in a group. Some parts of this here school are a bit dangerous if you don't know where you're going or what you're doing. So stick close to me. Any questions?" He asked.

No one made a sound. Two students turned a horrid shade of puce green. Lily looked pale. Evy's stomach churned, threatening to spew to the chocolate frog from earlier.

Hagrid turned in his big boots and marched off, waving for them to follow. Like ducks in a row, they marched to the edge of the lake where a few dozen boats waited for them. "No more than three to a boat," Hagrid instructed. "Quickly now!" He barked with an excited smile.

Evy jumped into a boat, Sirius and James close behind her. "Think he's going to eat us?" Sirius asked, eyeing Hagrid who was getting into a boat by himself.

"Nah," James answered, "he's a gentle giant. At least I hope so."

With a whoosh, the boats began to move on their own. The group was silent as the small wooden ships sailed across the black water, waves rippling past them. Soon they rounded a large rock, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry came into view.

"Wow," Evy whispered into the night air. The castle was more immense, more incredible than she had ever dreamed. Her sisters' descriptions couldn't do the amazing castle any justice. Lights flickered through hundreds of tiny windows on dozens of tall, stone towers. The night sky was a brilliant backdrop for such a magical place.

Within minutes, the boats pulled into the dock and one by one, the first years filed out onto the grounds. They hiked up a small path, stopping in front of two towering, closed doors. Hagrid gripped the heavy iron circles and knocked. The sound echoed. No one said a word.

The doors opened and an elderly wizard stood in the shadows. "Come," his scratchy voice could barely be heard. The wizard turned and the first years followed him inside. Hagrid was the last one inside. He closed the heavy doors behind him and walked down a hallway, away from the students.

The wizard continued to guide the students, his emerald green robes billowing behind him like a cloud. He was not much taller than the first years, but his white hair and creaking walk showed his old age. He halted in front of another set of large, wooden doors. Turning to face them, the torchlight caught his face. His weathered skin looked loose and tired. His pointy beard reached down to his mid-chest. Beady, black eyes were half-hidden underneath a pair of bushy, gray eyebrows. "I am Professor Adeleby," he croaked, "Head of Slytherin house and professor of Herbology."

Professor Adeleby scanned over the first years, looking into every one of their faces, trying to place them and figure out who might be in his house. "In a few moment, the sorting process will begin. Each of you will sit beneath the Sorting Hat and be selected into your house. Your house is your home while you are here. Good behavior earns your house points. Bad behavior loses points. And remember, no professor her is afraid to deduct points from any house." His grim voice hung over the students like a rain cloud, threatening to pour down on them at any moment. Some students trembled in front of the frail, old wizard. "Now, let's go," he huffed and opened the door.

The first years walked in two rows through the Great Hall. Older students looked at them with curiosity. Evy scanned the tables, trying to find her sisters. She saw Tabby smiling at her. She gave Evy a brief wave, but Evy felt too scared to wave back. Instead she turned her head. Beth smiled at her. Their mother had been so proud when Beth had been placed in Hufflepuff. Maybe Evy could make her mother proud too, even if she didn't really want to be a Hufflepuff.

The students stopped in front of a long U-shaped table where professors and staff sat, watching the students. Some smiled warmly while other frowned or scratched their heads. Other whispered amongst one another. Hagrid watched from the edge of the table, his eyes twinkling with amusement. An old pointy hat sat quietly on a stool in the middle of the room. Then, without warning, the old hat burst into song.

Evy was mesmerized. The Hat twitched and sang with a voice of its own. She had seen magic in her house before, but nothing quite like this. The Hat gave a history of Hogwarts and its houses, describing how its existence came to be. In a way, it was like the founders were still selecting each student that came through their walls. But what if none of the founders wanted her? Now Evy shook with worry.

The Great Hall burst into applause once the Hat finished its song. Professor Adeleby unrolled a long roll of parchment and began to read off names. One by one, students began to move up to the front and sit on the stool beneath the hat that the Profesor held in his gnarled grip. "Black, Sirius," he barked.

Sirius looked pale as he strode up to the stool. He turned to face the school and closed his eyes as he sat down. Professor Adeleby placed the hat on his head. For several moments it was silent. The Hat remained quiet for twice as long as it had for anyone else so far. Evy squirmed. "Gryffindor" it decided. The Gryffindor table hooted and cheered. When Adeleby lifted the hat, Sirius looked green. He had said before most of his family had been in Slytherin. Were any of them Gryffindors?

More names. More sorting. More applause. Then "Evans, Lily," Adeleby coughed. Red headed Lily was trembling as she climbed onto the stool. James leaned over Evy's shoulder to watch more closely, his breath dampening the back of her neck. Evy would have told him to back off if she hadn't been so nervous. "Gryffindor," the hat roared. More applause from the Gryffindor table. Evy glanced over. By now Sirius' pale pallor had disappeared. He actually smiled now as he waved Lily over towards him.

"Graham, Eveline," Adeleby said.

Evy shuffled one foot in front of the other, trying not to puke and remember to breathe at the same time. She felt faint. She grabbed the edge of the stool with a tight, clammy grip as the hat was placed on her head so low that it shielded her eyes. "Hm, interesting one heare" a voice in her head echoed. The Hat! "Two sides to every coin I say. Hufflepuff in one family. Ravenclaw on the other. You'd do well in either house. One sister in each house too. Yes, I remember them all so well. But you. You Eveline, seem so different. Destined for more than a Hufflepuff. Too stubborn to be a Ravenclaw. Oh where to put you my dear. I think I know."

"Gryffindor!" The Hat shouted. Evy almost fell off of her stool in shock. Gryffindor? But her parents… they had planned… No one in her family had been a Gryffindor! How could she? What would her parents say? The hat was lifted from her head and she strode towards the table that was cheering and hollering. Panicked, Evy looked for her sisters. Tabby was shaking her head, her mouth wide in shock. Beth was tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. What were they thinking? Was this alright? Were they happy or upset?

"Way to go, Evy," Sirius said, clapping her on the back and dragging her next to him. Lily beamed at her. "Great to see another familiar face in Gryffindor," she said to Evy. Evy forced a smile, her stomach tossing like a ship lost at sea.

One by one, their classmates were sorted into houses. Remus was the next to join the Gryffindor tables to lots of cheering and pats on the back. Evy hugged him as he sat down on her other side. Three more Gryffindors girls joined the table, then Peter and James sat down.

"Oh, there he is," Lily murmured. Severus Snape, a lanky boy with long, slicked black hair and a pointy nose walked up to the hat. He brushed his robes aside and sat on the rickety stool. "Slytherin," the hat announced. Snape smiled and waltzed toward the Slytherin table as they cheered for him, but Lily's face fell. "Oh," she said, her shoulders drooping.

"Cheer up Lily pad," James said. "You'll still see your friend in classes."

"It's not the same," she mumbled. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Evy all looked at one another and sighed a deep, unified breath of relief. At least they were together.

***Hi everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I have so so much to write and I'm so excited to write my first fanfiction after reading it for years. Please review and/or message me and let me know what you think, what is good or bad, what can be improved, what you'd like to read, etc. I'm always open to ideas! Thank you!


	3. Elderly

"So when are we getting together to study for Charms?" Remus asked, shrugging of his bag and dropping it on the floor.

James plopped down on a worn down leather sofa and stretched out his long limbs. Evy grabbed his bony ankles and lifted his legs in the air. She spun around and sat on the couch, dropping his legs on her lap.

"How about tomorrow in the library?" Peter suggested, sitting on an ottoman and putting his bag on his lap.

"But tomorrow's Halloween," Sirius whined, clasping Remus on the shoulder. "And why the library? We always get thrown out of there."

"You mean you and James always get thrown out of there," Remus corrected. "And we have an exam on Monday. We have to practice a hives potion."

"Who wants to drink a potion that gives them hives?" James asked.

"The potion gets rid of hives, dummy," Evy said.

"Well, sorry. Some of us aren't potion prodigies like Lily and Snape." James rolled his eyes. "Snape's such a show off in potions class. Stupid git."

"Right. Is that why you were flying circles around him in flying class yesterday? Mad that his potion came out right and yours smelled like death?" Peter asked.

"Ooh, burned by Pettigrew!" Sirius laughed. Evy and Remus snickered.

"Oh shove out up your arse," James said. He pulled out his class list. "Who has Defense Against the Dark Arts next?"

"I do," Remus said.

"Me too," Peter smiled.

"I have Herbology with professor elderly," Sirius mumbled.

"Aw man, I'm stuck with Sirius for the next two hours," Evy groaned. Sirius was always a blast to hang out with, but he focused on keeping himself entertained in classes rather than learning. It was a mystery how he had high marks in all of his classes.

"Cheer up Evy," Sirius smirked, "if you're lucky, I'll let you help me prank professor elderly. I think it's time for his walking stick to get permanently stuck to the floor. The way it clacks is absolutely maddening."

"Adeleby will throw us both in detention for that," Evy said.

"But it'll be so worth it," Sirius beamed at her.

Evy sighed. "I don't want to scrub the dungeons all night with Filch breathing down my neck. I'm out." Evy shoved James' legs off her lap and stood. "I'm going to my Herbology books and maybe have a snack. I'll see you guys later." Evy bounded up the girl's staircase two steps at a time. Opening the door to the first years' dormitory, she saw Lily and waved.

"Hi," Evy said.

Lily looked up from her potions homework and nodded. "Hey. Want to study tonight for potions? Severus is meeting me in the library to help."

"That's be great, thanks. I can't seem to get this one potion sorted out. There are so many steps and the ingredients are just, well, weird. I thought eye of newt was just a Shakespeare thing, not a real ingredient in a real potion."

"Yeah, eye of newt, toe of frog, all of that makes a powerful hangover curing potion if done correctly. Shakespeare's wife was a witch you know," Lily noted. She did have a knack for potions after all.

"I think I read about that somewhere," Evy yawned. "Want to study with us for Charms tomorrow night? You and Snape can both come if you want," she offered.

Lily shook her head. "Thanks but Severus and I are going to the Halloween feast tomorrow and see how many ghosts are in the castle."

"You and Snape are close friends aren't you?" Evy asked.

A soft smile tugged on Lily's lips. "Yeah," her wistful voice muttered, "he's my best friend. We grew up together, well, for a couple of years anyway. He saw me practicing magic. He taught me all I knew about the wizarding world before I came to Hogwarts."

"Does he pull on your pigtails and throw rocks at you too?" Evy teased.

Lily smiled "Oh shove it, Evy."

"Now you're starting to sound like James."

Lily shuddered. "Don't compare me to that bat-brained moron Potter. Can you believe he turned Severus' hair bright orange in Charms last week? Of all the nerve," Lily's skin flushed red, her temper rising. She certainly had a red head's temper. "Luckily Professor Flitwick was able to change it back, but everyone was laughing at him. It was so mean."

Evy shook her head. "I think he was just trying to have some fun, Lily," Evy said, not believing it herself. James could be, well, a bit of an arse, especially to Snape.

"Don't try to defend Potter to me, Evy. He was wrong and you know it," Lily snapped.

Evy shrugged and decided it was time to change the subject. "What class do you have next?"

"Herbology," Lily mumbled.

"Great!" Evy beamed at her. "You can save me from Sirius. He's awful in class without the boys. All he wants to do is prank the teachers. So childish sometimes."

"Does he pull your hair and throw rocks at you too?" Lily teased.

Evy shuddered and stuck her tongue out at Lily. "I wouldn't kiss Sirius Black if he was the last boy on Earth. I'd rather kiss a dementor!" Evy exclaimed.

Lily laughed. "Sure you would."

"Ugh, change of subject. Are you going to the Quidditch match on Saturday?" Evy asked.

"Yes. I'm going with Severus, Molly, Amy, and Mercedes" Lily said. Molly Hitchby and Amy Miller were two other Gryffindor first years. Mercedes Cate was a Syltherin first year. Why Lily spent her time with Mercedes, who seemed to turn up her nose whenever Lily was in the room, Evy didn't know. Perhaps Snape was good friends with Mercedes? Perhaps Molly or Amy invited her along? All Evy knew for sure was that Mercedes gave her a bad feeling in her gut, like food poisoning.

"Well, I hope you have fun then. I'm going with"

"The boys," Lily cut her off. "Yeah, I figured."

There was a long pause. Evy picked up the folded laundry from her bed, courtesy of the house elves, whom she still had yet to meet, and hung up her robes in her tiny closet. She swapped out her Transfiguration textbook for Herbology and stuffed in some new sheets of parchment paper as well.

"Want to prank Sirius in class?" Evy asked Lily.

"For someone who's so good at Herbology, you'd think that you'd want to pay more attention than waste your time annoying Black," Lily lectured without looking up from her notes.

Evy rolled her eyes. "I'm running over to the library before class. See you around," she said.

Lily nodded without as much as a glance at Evy.

The enchanted lights in the greenhouse twinkled brightly as the first years sat around several rows of flowers. A small red rope was circled around the flower bench, a warning to the students not to touch the plants until the teacher instructed them to do so. Each of the students donned their gardening gloves and aprons, waiting for Adeleby to begin his lecture.

"And now class," Professor Adeleby limped up and down the large center aisle of the greenhouse, his cane clacking beside him, "today we will be tending to wolfsbane. Now, if you actually did your homework and reading, you'll be able to name the two most common uses for wolfsbane. Ms. Evans, can you give me the two main uses for wolfsbane?" Professor Adeleby turned on his heel and shot a piercing stare at Lily. His beady eyes glinted, a sneer curling on his thin lips.

She froze, unable to mutter a single word. "I…I…I…"

"Forgot to do your reading, yes. How surprising. Ms Graham, can you name the main uses for wolfsbane or were you in the same study group as Ms. Evans?" he asked. Several of the Slytherin students and one obnoxious Ravenclaw giggled.

"Wolfsbane is often used in poisons," Evy began, "and is used in the wizarding world for wolfsbane potion, which is help werewolves during their time of transformation. It's often said that it helps them, um, keep their focus and remain a little bit human. It was also rumored for a while that it protected people from vampires, but that was just urban legend. William McKinsey walked into a den of vampires with a garland of wolfsbane around his neck and he was bled dry."

Professor Adeleby stopped walking. He turned and placed his angry stare onto Evy. Then he softened, his sneer breaking into a grimace. "Ten points to Gryffindor Ms. Graham. I don't give points lightly. I can't remember the last time a student know about the McKinsey story. Not for about twenty years at least. Well done."

Professor Adeleby turned and quizzed some more students. Sirius nudged her arm. "Nice job," he said. "But not as nice as this." Sirius flicked his wand and muttered an incantation. Professor Adeleby stumbled as he continued to move forward, but his cane stood in place. Two students reached out to help him regain his balance before he fell, his deep purple robes caught around his small ankles.

"Who did that?" Adeleby barked. His face flushed a bright red, his mad eyes bulging and gleaming under the magical sunlight. He grabbed the top of his cane and tugged. It didn't budge. He kicked it, but it wouldn't move. He wrestled with it for several minutes until finally it snapped in two. Furious, he turned towards the students, watching for a guilty face, a flicker of regret. But nothing happened.

Then a Hufflepuff girl pointed at Sirius. "He did it," she mumbled.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Adeleby shouted "And detention for your Black. Tomorrow. My office. You'll be cleaning flower pots from now until the fat lady sings!" he bellowed.

"But she already does, professor" Sirius said. "Have you heard her? She's horrible."

"Another ten points," he shouted. "Class dismissed. And someone get Professor Flitwick over here this instant!" He turned and fled the greenhouse, leaving a group of stunned students in his wake. One by one, they packed up and left.

"Told you that'd be good, didn't I?" Sirius beamed with pride ad he shouldered his bag and strode out with Evy and Lily.

"You cost me my points," Evy grumbled, turning her back on Sirius.

"So what?" he said. "They're just fake points."

"They're not fake," Evy said, her voice rising as heat creeped up her neck. "I earned those points, Black. But you don't care. Why should I even bother talking to you about it?" Evy rushed off in a huff, her blonde hair billowing out behind her, her green eyes stinging with tears. Lily ran behind her. Sirius tried to follow, but Lily shot him a death glare that actually made him stop in his tracks. Evy thought she heard him mumble a weak apology but she was too angry to care.

Lily followed her all the way up to their dormitory. "Stupid git," Evy shouted, throwing down her bag and kicking her truck. "Careless. Arrogant. Stupid. Stupid Stupid. Ugh!" she shouted. She picked up her hairbrush and threw it at the wall.

"I'm really sorry, Evy," Lily mumbed. "That was crumby of him. You did great. I saw how proud Adeleby was of you. You really impressed him."

"Fat lot of good it did me thanks to Black," Evy said, nearing the point of tears. Her body trembled in anger, her skin flushed pink.

"Want to go take a walk? Cool off a bit?" Lily asked.

Evy took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I think I'll go rent a broomstick and fly around for a bit." And with that, Evy headed towards the Quidditch pitch to work out some anger.

*****Review! Review Review! Please review, I can't begin to explain how much I look forward to hearing feedback and critiques. It means so much to me to have people reading my story. Thank you all!


	4. Quidditch

"Come on Peter, move faster! I want to get good seats!" James yelled as the group of five climbed up the old wooden stairs in a Quidditch tower.

"James," Evy said from behind him, "Its Quidditch. There's no such thing as a bad seat at Quidditich. Relax, have fun!"

"I want to be right in the middle!" he shouted down to them.

"You know, I heard that visually the best seats are behind the goalposts," Remus mentioned. Sirius whacked him on the back of the head.

James turned. "Really? That's it then, everyone down the steps." He tried to walk down, but the four of them blocked James.

"No," they shouted in unison and pushed him back up the stairs, assuring him that they would get the best seats in the house. They all shook their heads but trudged behind him up the stairs. After finally reaching the top, the tower was empty. Looking down, the entire Quidditch pitch was empty.

"Is the game today?" Peter asked, craning his neck around to try to find someone sitting around the he stadium. It was empty, the sky still dark.

"Of course it is. It's just not for four more hours," James said, plopping himself in a seat front and center.

"James!" the four of them shouted and whined. Evy groaned, sitting in a seat. We're going to miss breakfast," she crossed her arms and huffed.

"Oh no we won't. I came prepared!" James rubbed his hands together eagerly and whipped off his pack. "I stopped by the kitchens this morning and had them whip us up some things. Hurry up and sit you lot," he pointed to the rest of the boys. "The show's about to start."

Confused but starving, the boys slid down the down, two on each side of James. Peter scooched over next to Evy, Remus and Sirius maneuvering over James to sit on his other side. James opened his bag and passed out thermoses of piping hot cocoa, bags of pastries and small containers of eggs, bacon, sausages and toast, all still hot and fresh.

"How in the world did you get them to make all of this?" Sirius asked. "Kreecher gives me an attitude when I'm sick and ask for a piece of toast. Still does it mind you, but he probably spits on it."

"They love doing this stuff," James said, biting into an apple turnover. "They get so happy, like they want to cook and help. Kind of cute almost. Ooh, here it comes," James bounced in his seat, pointing to the edge of the Forbidden Forrest.

The five of them held their breath for a minute, watching and waiting. Then a sliver of blood red light began to peek out from behind the trees. In minutes, the dawn began to rise. Smudges of reds, pinks and oranges lit up the deep blue sky, touching the tops of the dark green trees. Some starlight still twinkled in the dark. "Wow," they all gasped, watching the sunrise from the Quidditch pitch. "Nothing like a sunrise at Hogwarts," James said, sipping his cocoa. They nodded in agreement and continued to eat, watching the sunrise without a word.

An hour later, the sun was higher and brighter, the food nearly finished as people slowly began to arrive. "I can't believe people get here so early for these things," James mumbled. "Makes the rest of us have to get here even earlier to get decent seats," Sirius nudged James in the ribs. Evy laughed.

"Good thing you brought food or we would have chucked you over the side of the tower," Peter said.

"Doesn't take much to make you happy, does it Peter?" Remus joked.

"Think we can do something about this decorum?" Sirius asked. "It's looking a bit too, well, Slytherin. Too much green."

With mischevious smirks, the five of them pulled out their wands and began casting spells. The Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw banners morphed into Gryffindor red and gold colors. The hanging flags changed, the cloth seats changed and James even had red and gold stripes painted along the grass like an American football field. The Gryffindor logo shone in the sunlight, painted in the middle of the pitch.

"Nice job if I say so ourselves," James said, sitting back in his seat and tucking his wand away.

"So how was detention last night, Sirius?" Remus asked, tucking his wand back up his sleeve.

Sirius groaned and banged his head on the back of his chair, locks of dark hair swinging back and forth. "Elderly followed through on his threat. I scrubbed flower pots for four hours, then when I came back to the dorms, the Fat Lady was singing so loud she couldn't hear me say the password. She thought I was enjoying her show and sang for half an hour before I shouted it to her. She finally let me through then, but it was a nightmare."

The five of them winced. The Fat Lady's singing was worse than Adeleby's detention by any means. "Think we'll get detention for this?" Evy asked.

"It'll be worth it," James smiled, admiring their handiwork.

As students and teachers filed onto the pitch, there was complete confusion as to why the whole pitch was dedicated to Gryffindor, especially since it was a Hufflepuff and Slytherin match today. "Think they noticed?" Remus smirked as the teachers filed out onto the pitch and one by one began to reverse their spells. Soon the decorum was back to its original state and James frowned.

"They don't like my decorating," he huffed, crossing his arms and slouching in his seat.

"I knew it was you, Potter. I'm going to the headmaster for this," Snape hissed behind them. Lily looked straight ahead, ignoring Snape and trying to focus on the match that was about to begin.

"When did you get here?" Remus asked.

"None of your business. I knew you lot were behind this. I'm going to Dumbledore. You'll get thrown out of here for sure Sneaking around, wrecking the school's property like that."

"Clearly it wasn't ruined," Evy said. "It's all back to normal now though James is right. It looks a little dull now."

"No one asked your opinion, you stupid girl," Snape sneered.

"Severus, don't insult her like that. Evy's my friend," Lily chastised.

"Don't you dare talk about Evy like that," Peter snapped. He pulled out his wand and shouted a Bat Bogey hex at Snape. Large, bat-sized boogers flew from Snape's nose and began to attack him.

"Get them off of me. Gross. Disgusting. Get them off," he shouted. Lily shrieked and hid under the chair.

"I'll save you, Evans,: James said, throwing himself on top of her to save her from any flying mucus.

A fourth year Slytherin muttered the reverse spell and the boogers disappeared.

"Why you little rat!" Snape screamed, his face bright red and flushed. "I'll get you lot for this." He ran off.

"Potter, get the bloody hell off of me! And you" Lily said, pointing towards Peter, "you didn't have to curse him like that."

"He deserved it," Sirius said.

"No one asked your opinion, Black," Lily spat.

"All of you shut it! Just watch the game. It's starting," Evy said, turning in her seat.

Dumbledore's voice boomed through the loud speakers. "Thank you all for coming to this year's first Quidditch match of the season for Hufflepuff versus Slytherin." Loud cheers erupted throughout the stadium. "Before we begin, I believe that Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr Pettigrew, and Ms. Graham are to thank for the earlier decorum. Please, the five of you, see me once this match is over." Most of the student booed, but the Gryffindors, and some of the teachers, cheered and whistled over the rest. At least some people like James' decorating ideas.

"The captains are shaking hands," the announcer began. "The players kick up. The referee has the quaffle. The quaffle is tossed and the game begins!" Excitement hummed in the air throughout the stadium as the crowd cheered and clapped. In less than a minute, Slytherin was ahead, 20-0.

"Humphrey is coming up the front. He shoots. He scores! Hufflepuff scores, 20-10." The crowd went wild, drowning out the chant of "boo" from Slytherin house. Dumbledore applauded and smiled.

"Here comes Chancey with the quaffle. He's coming up, he shoots! Oh, nice catch from Hufflepuff's keeper there. And Hufflepuff has the quaffle again."

Five minutes later, the score was tied 90-90. "Go Hufflepuff!" the five friends cheered from behind the Hufflepuff goalpost. "Get the snitch Rodney," James cheered, jumping up and down in his seat. "Get the bloody snitch."

"Come of Hanger, show 'em who's the best house!" Mercedes screamed into Sirius' ear. He ignored, her, yelling "Let's go Hufflepuff. Beat the worst house in Hogwarts."

"This is so exciting!" Remus bounced in his seat.

"He's going for the snitch," Evy yelled, pointing downward to a small corner of the field. Hufflepuff's seeker was closing in on a tiny golden ball. "It's right there!" she shrieked. "Grab it, grab it!" Evy reached out her hand just as the Hufflepuff seeker caught the snitch.

"Hufflepuff's caught the snitch!" the announcer yelled. "Hufflepuff wins the first Quidditch match of the year!" The school went wild. Cheers erupted throughout the stadium. Gryffindors and Ravenclaws chanted with the Hufflepuffs in what felt like a school-wide victory. Slytherin was defeated.

Groups of begrudged Slytherins trudged off the field. Mercedes elbowed Sirius in the back of his head "by accident" when she walked past. He ignored her again. "I think that was the quickest quidditch match I've ever seen!" James exclaimed. "Slytherin didn't have a chance!"

"They were tied James," Evy reminded him. "Hufflepuff just has a better seeker." Linked arm in arm, the five of them ran down the tower and back to the school grinning like fools and ready for Dumbledore's lecture on interior decorating.


	5. Letter Home

Dear Mom and Dad,

This weeks has flown by faster than a Nimbus broom! I cannot believe Christmas is in three weeks already, wow this year has gone by so fast. I miss you both so much and am so excited for dad's Christmas cookies. It feels like the holidays here, but it doesn't feel like home. Just to confirm, dad's going to pick up Tabby, Beth, and I at the train station on December 22, correct?

I'm a bit sad to report that I can't say much about Tabby and Beth. I thought that they would be around more often, but because we all have different classes and are in different years and live in different houses… well, we see each other at meals on occasion and make small talk. It'll be nice to spend some time with everyone once we're home.

And I'm sorry about that note regarding my detentions. Really though, I wasn't involved in that last one. Wrong place, wrong time, you know? Sirius and James had lined the great hall with those awful smelling fart bags that muggle children use. They set them all off at the same time (though they still won't tell me how!) and the place smelled horrendous. Of course, some 7th year show offs just used a bubblehead charm and went about their business but the rest of us had to suffer until we could evacuate the room. It was a nightmare! And I did nothing, but Filch saw me laughing with James and Sirius and thought I was in on it. Really mom, I wasn't!

I think you'd like the boys, mom. They're really funny and all of them are really smart. I know how much dad admires intelligence in people. I'm sure he'd think highly of all four of them. My roommates and I seem to be getting a little closer as well. (Yes, I remember in your last letter that I should try and be friendlier with some of the girls in my year too. See, I'm reading and listening to what you have to say. Remember that next time I have detention.) Lily and I have set up a sort of study group for potions. I'm alright but she's amazing mom. And so is her friend, Snape. Sorry, Severus Snape. The boys loathe him so I'm just used to calling him Snape now. Force of habit.

Anyway, Lily and I have set up a study group with Severus/Snape/stupid git and Amy and Molly from Gryffindor and Mercedes and Ray from Slytherin. It's a bit of an eclectic mix but hey, potions don't care what house you're in, as long as you make them right! (I'm not sure if that made any sense. I've eaten about five chocolate frogs in the last hour and am a little bit hyped up on sugar.) So far it been going smoothly. I think Mercedes has a problem with Lily, but Lily brushes it off. I swear she has the patience of a saint. If it was me in Lily's shoes, I would have punched Mercedes in her little button nose weeks ago for her attitude.

Let's see, what else is going on... I'm acing Herbology and Charms. Transfiguration has been a nightmare. We're supposed to be transforming mice into a hat but I'm always afraid I'll hurt the poor thing and that makes me nervous so I screw up all the time. I did transfigure one mouse to be three feet long once! I guess that's something. Defense Against the Dark Arts is a fun class. Very easy really, but I think that's because we won't start learning any defense spells until next year. Right now it's all background information. We're studying vampires this month. They're fascinating. Astronomy is a joke. I'm terrible. I hate it. I can't wait for it to be over. I'd rather take Mathematics from elementary school all over again than suffer through Astronomy. History of Magic is interesting if you read the textbook during class and ignore the ghost who teaches it. He's so dry and lifeless (okay, pun intended on that one).And of course I'm grade A at Flying, but it seems most of the students who come from magical families are good. James and Sirius keep showing off. I can bet you now that James' be on the Quidditch team next year. Mark my words.

Mom, how is your treatment going? I hope you're feeling better I can't wait to go home and show you some of the charms I've learned. I'll be good enough to be a professor at the rate I'm going. Flitwick says I'm going brilliantly. I'm sure you'd be proud. Tabby was excellent at Charms too. I wonder ii she can show me some more stuff over the holidays to impress Professor Flitwick.

Have you heard from Beth lately? I hope she can make some room for me next to her on the train. Most of my friends are staying at school for the holidays. And I've barely gotten to talk to her or Tabby all year!

Anyway, I love you both! Can't wait to be home soon.

Lots of Love,

Evy

**** Please, please readers, review! Thank you, it means so much to me


	6. Gifts

Evy sighed as she walked down the tiny corridor of the Hogwarts Express. Only about half the compartments were full and Evy had no difficulty locating an empty cabin in the back. Hoisting her heavy backpack off her shoulders, she closed the compartment door, dropped her pack onto an empty chair and plopped herself in the seat by the window. She had brought a book, some playing cards and some other things to keep herself entertained for the ride back to school, but she wasn't in the mood. She was exhausted.

The Christmas break was the opposite of relaxing. In fact Evy had never felt so stressed out before. Her mother was getting worse. And there was nothing she could do to help her mom at this point. Her father had locked himself away in his study for almost her entire visit and her sisters had friends nearby who were also home for the holidays. Evy felt alone.

As tears began to prick in her eyes, the compartment door slid open. "Evy?" Lily asked. "Is everything alright? You looked so sad." Lily offered Evy a weak smile as Snape stood behind Lily, rolling his eyes.

"I'm going to find us a compartment," he said without another glance at Evy and stormed off, his black robe billowing out behind him.

Lily watched him walk away and shook her head. "Sorry, he can be awfully rude sometimes. He's just…"

"An arse," Evy suggested.

"Impatient," Lily corrected.

"No excuse," Evy said, wiping the corners of her eyes with the sweater Beth had knitted for her as a Christmas gift.

"What's wrong Evy?" Lily asked, sliding into the seat across from Evy and staring at her with concern.

Evy shifted under Lily's gaze. "My mom's getting worse," she said. She sighed, trying to calm herself but her breath was shaky. She wanted to stay with her mom but she had to go back to school. Her father assured her that their mother would get better, that she had hit rock bottom but could only improve. Evy wondered if her dad was trying to convince her or himself of that lie. Evy just hoped her mom would hold out to see Tabby graduate.

Lily moved across to sit beside Evy and wrapped her thin arm around Evy's bony shoulder. "It'll be alright, Evy," she rocked EVy back and forth, trying to calm her, but the teas still pricked the corners of Evy's eyes.

She rubbed the scratchy corner of her robe against her eyes, drying them hastily before someone else saw her embarrass herself. "I should get some schoolwork done. I did nothing all break."

"Neither did I," Lily admitted. "I was going to go study with Severus. Want to join us?"

Evy shook her head. "Thanks Lil but I want to be alone right now."

Lily's gave a gentle smile and squeezed Evy's shoulder one last time before standing. "I understand," she said. "My offer still stands if you want some company." She nodded and left Evy alone in the tiny compartment.

Suddenly Evy wished she hadn't said she wanted to be alone. She felt lonely all break. She wanted to be surrounded by people she loved. She wanted everything to be alright. She wanted her mother back, the tall, beautiful woman with the glowing smile and curtain of blonde hair. She was scared of the decaying, bald corpse who lived in her parents' house.

Then a twinge of guilt pricked at her stomach. She shouldn't talk about her mother like that. Her sisters would be embarrassed if she talked that way about their mom. Their dad wouldn't be able to look at her if she said anything. And her mom, she just smiled through it all. But her smile stopped reaching her eyes. The fire, the spirit she had inside her, was going out. Only embers stayed.

"Evy?" a sweet voice asked from the doorway, "why are you crying?" Remus asked, walking in and sliding the door shut behind him.

Evy sniffed. "I wasn't crying," she stiffened, straightening her back against the cushion. "I had something in my eye."

"Sue you did," Remus mumbled, the sarcasm dripping from his tongue. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I just wanted you to know I'm here to talk if you want to talk," he offered.

"Why does everything think I want to talk?" Evy snapped. "I'm not allowed to talk about what I really think, so why talk about it at all?" She huffed and wiped her eyes again.

"Alright," he said and sat down across from her. "How was your holiday?"

"Boring," she admitted. "And I didn't get any of my work done. Oh, and I have your present with me," she smiled and stood, pulling a lump wrapped in tin foil from her pocket. She handed it to him with an eager grin, like a child offering their mother a probably disgusting sandwich made with love.

Remus smiled back and took the little bundle, unwrapping it eagerly. He yanked off the paper and grinned. "1001 Pranks, Jokes and Wise Cracks for the Prankster's Apprentice" he laughed. Then he stood and engulfed Evy in a bear hug, even though he was a few inches shorter than her. "Thank you, Evy."

"Promise me you'll put it to good use," she said before sinking back down to her seat.

"Oh, don't worry, I will," he made a large X shape across his chest. "Cross my heart. I can't wait to show the guys. They're going to be so excited," he beamed.

"I wonder how their holidays were," Evy said. "I know Sirius and Peter were staying at the castle this year. I thought James would be somewhere on the train, but I haven't seen him."

Remus scratched his chin. "I think I saw him following Lily, but it was crowded. Might not have been…"

"Bloody hell," James' angry voice echoed like a sonic boom down the corridor. "It burns."

Remus jumped to his feet and pulled a stumbling James into their compartment. Hands waved wildly in front of James' face as he tried to cool his reddening lips, his hairline dampening with sweat. "Pepper breath," he coughed. "Burns. Water. Help me."

Remus instead pulled his wand from his pocket and muttered the counter curse. After several seconds, James stopped panting, but his eyes were watery, his skin was dotted with patches of pink, and his lips were puffy and bright red. He looked like he had swallowed a tub full of hot sauce on a dare.

"What did you do?" Evy asked, crossing her arms and swinging a leg over her knee, waiting for James' story. No doubt this had to do with something he said to Lily or done to Snape.

"I'm innocent. I swear. It was Lily," he huffed. "I asked her to study with me. That's all. Then Snivellus told me to get out. Naturally I told him to wash his greasy hair and find another pretty girl to pant after. Lily got annoyed at that for some reason and hexed me. Pepper breath. Bloody hell, that burns."

Evy bit her lip and tried not to laugh as James plopped himself down on a seat. "You shouldn't pick on Snape like that," Evy shook her head.

James opened his mouth to speak, but Remus interrupted. "So, I have your presents." Remus rummaged through his knapsack before retrieving two bundles wrapped in Santa Claus wrapping paper.

"Excellent," James said, catching his bundle as Remus chucked it over to him. He tore the paper away like a toddler on Christmas and ogled at the miniature snow globe. Inside was a Quidditch pitched with players flying around and playing the game. "Wow, neat!" he exclaimed. "Thanks mate. Oy, and I got you a present too. I got everyone presents actually, but they're all in the castle. Muggle gifts. Loads of fun!" he smiled.

Remus handed Evy her bundle. She tore the paper with the same enthusiasm as James. A flimsy jewelry box was taped shut and when Evy sliced through the tape with her fingernails her jaw fell open. Nestled inside was a pair of earrings, one Ravenclaw crest and one Hufflepuff crest. "I know you weren't expecting to end up in Gryffindor, but I'm glad you're with us," Remus mumbled with a smile and a blush. "My mum helped me pick them out."

Evy's grin was infectious as the two boys smiled with her. She jumped up and embraced Remus in a hug that lasted a little bit longer than normal. "Thank you so much," she said. "They remind me of home."

"Speaking of home," James said, glancing outside the window, "we're here."

An hour later, the three of them were strolling through the Gryffindor common room with some older Gryffindors, who happened to know the new password.

"Thank God you're back," Peter smiled and launched himself from his seat.

"Fantastic," Sirius grinned, his hair flopping forward into his face.

Evy frowned. He needed a haircut. "Hi guys," she said, giving both of them a warm hug before pulling their gifts from her pack. "How was your holiday?"

"Boring," Sirius announced, "Peter made me do homework."

"It had to be done either way. Might as well get it done now," Peter chastised, shaking his head.

"Well, you see, I didn't exactly get my work done either," James said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Neither did I," chimed in Evy.

"Or me," Remus said.

Evy, James, Sirius and Peter gaped in shock as they stared at Remus. "You didn't do homework?" Sirius muttered.

"There's a first time for everything," Remus defended. "Look, it looks like Evy has presents for you guys. Maybe you should all be thinking about that," he said.

The boys turned their attention to Evy and her gifts. All three of them got a large bag full of candy, enough to last them through the rest of the school year. "You're amazing Evy," Peter beamed as he bit into a pumpkin pasty.

"Oh, I have your gifts," James said, jumping to his feet. "Let me go grab them." He rushed up the stairs two at a time.

"I gave him and Remus their gifts already," Peter said, pulling out a small package from his back pocket. "Here you go Evy. Happy belated Christmas Evy," he smiled as he handed her the small gift.

Evy beamed at him as she accepted the package and began to unwrap it. "Wow, Peter, that's amazing," Evy gasped as she held out a small figurine of a Griffin about to take flight. "Thank you so much" She leaned over and hugged him before he could protest. When she pulled away, his ears were a deep pink.

"I have my gift for you too," Sirius said. "It's not as cool as Peter's, but I hope you like it," he pulled a package from the pocket of his robes. "Happy Christmas," he mumbled.

"Aw, thank you Sirius," Evy said, unwrapping his gift as James bounded back down the stairs. "Oh, it's a pen," Evy said, trying to sound excited but knowing her voice fell a little flat.

"Not just a regular pen," he said. "If you hold this button when you write," he leaned forward and showed her the button, "whatever you write shows up on my pen. See." He pulled his own, identical pen out of his pocket. "Thought it might be fun in class. Talk without getting caught, you know."

Evy smiled. "Awesome. Thanks!"

"Nerf gun war!" James echoed, handing each one of them a toy gun with foam bullets and a bullet refill pack. "Come on your lot, last one to the Great Hall with these gets shot by the rest of us."

James rushed out of the common room, leaving the others to trail behind him. "Hey Remus," Evy said as they jogged to catch up. "Anything in that book I gave you about enchanting Nerf bullets?"

Remus smirked. "Why in fact Evy, I think there is…"

*****Hi all. Please please review! They really do make my day! And sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I have a few projects I'm working on at the moment but I will try to update a little sooner next time! Review please! Love,


	7. Valentines

"What's the point of Valentine's Day? It's such a stupid holiday," James groaned as another couple walked by hand-in-hand.

"It's so gits like you can finally get up the courage to tell girls like Lily Evans that you like them," Remus rationalized. "Supposedly St. Valentine was also a wizard, but I think that's just speculation from the wizarding world. There were rumors spread around that St. Valentine also didn't exist. Instead Valentine was an ancient wizard who was a brilliant potions master. He invented the beginning of what Laverne de Montmorency would later develop into what we now call a love potion."

Evy, James, Sirius and Peter all gaped at Remus. He glanced up from his parchment when no one said anything and simply shrugged. "It was part of last night's reading materials for potions class. I think Slughorn thought he was being clever in giving us themed homework or something."

"Think we'll try to make one in class tomorrow?" Peter asked, his eyes widening with what appeared to be excitement.

"I don't think we're supposed to learn that until fifth or sixth year, Peter," Evy said.

"Looks like Peter is going to have to wait a few more years before he can finally get a girlfriend," Sirius teased.

"Oh shut it," Peter squeaked. "Just because you got three boxes of chocolates from girls this year doesn't mean you can pick on the rest of us."

"That was supposed to be a secret," Sirius frowned.

"Three?" Evy asked in surprise. "Aw, Sirius, you didn't have to go out and buy yourself chocolates to try and impress people. That's not sad at all that you're pretending to have a Valentine, let alone three of them."

James and Peter chuckled. Remus rolled his eyes and ignored them.

"I'll have you know that I did not buy them for myself, thank you very much Evy. One was from a third year Ravenclaw, one from a second year Hufflepuff and one from a first year Slytherin, which is probably poisoned s I tossed those." Sirius smirked at them as he ran down his list of admirers.

"So what are their names?" Peter asked.

Sirius puffed up his chest like a gorilla. "I don't kiss and tell. That wouldn't be the polite thing to do," he said.

Evy laughed. "Since when do you keep secrets?"

"Well," James defended, "he's not so bad at keeping secrets. He kept a secret about me hiding a dead toad in Filch's desk just last week."

"You're the reason our whole Charms class had Saturday detention?" Peter asked.

"Which isn't so secret anymore," Sirius grimaced.

"Oops," James shrugged. "Point is, if Sirius says girls bought him chocolates, I believe him"

"Well I don't," Evy said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just because no boy bought you anything for Valentine's Day before doesn't mean you have to ruin the fun for everyone else, Evy," Sirius snapped.

Everyone's jaws hung open as four heads turned to face Sirius. "Take that back," Peter said.

"That's messed up, mate," James said, shaking his head.

Evy jumped to her feet and huffed. Without a word, she turned and bolted out of the Gryffindor common room. She flew up the steps, not sure where she where her feet were taking her. She stopped when she reached the Owlery.

Dodging dropping and rat skeletons, Evy stood by a large window, the cold air whipping her hair around her face. "Stupid boys," she mumbled. Ripley, her family's barn owl, swooped down and landed on her shoulder. Evy ruffled her feathers, watching the owls circling around the tower outside.

Despite the bitter cold, the scene was quite beautiful. The sun was beginning to set over the Forbidden Forrest. The dark trees looked bright and fiery under the fading pink sky. Stars twinkled on the edge of the bright orange light of the horizon and the moon peaked out from behind a sliver of wispy clouds. Down below, students were couple together, keeping close to one another for warmth. Some held hands. Others walked over the frost covered grasses. One couple was trying to throw rocks into the Black Lake, maybe to catch the giant squid's attention.

Evy pulled her robes tighter around her, her hands stuffed under her armpits for warmth. "Stupid Sirius," Evy mumbled. "Why should I care about Valentine's Day? It's a dumb holiday anyway."

"It's not so bad," James voice echoed around the Owlery. "We all split up to look for you, you know. Sirius feels horrible."

Evy guffawed. "Right, I'm sure he's so upset over calling me out on being an ugly girl that no boys like."

"You know he didn't say that," James said, crossing his arms. "And the three of us like you. He was tired of you teasing him about his chocolates. He doesn't like getting all that attention from girls."

"Then he shouldn't have kept talking about it. He was enjoying it," Evy said.

"Well it was Peter's fault for bringing it uo. But anyway, I don't know. Sirius is kind of moody. Complicated, I guess," James shrugged. He reached down and pulled out a tiny square package from the pocket of his robes. "Sirius is wrong, by the way. I got you a little something for Valentine's Day. My mom makes them." James held out the small gift to Evy.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Evy. You know, just as a friend," he smiled. "Lily's the only Valentine for me."

Evy giggled and began up unwrap her package. "Did you get her something too?" she asked.

James nodded, his jet black hair bouncing along his forehead. "Yeah, I got her some chocolates that taste like rose petals. So she's getting flowers and chocolates all in one."

Evy smiled at him. "That's really thoughtful of you James. And economical." Evy finished unwrapping the small box of chocolates. "These look so good," she said as she glanced through the plastic lid to see a small assortment of homemade candies and chocolate truffles nestled inside the palm sized box. "Thank you, James."

"You're welcome Evy. Think you're ready to go face Sirius now?" he asked.

Evy groaned. "If I have to." They linked arm in arm and walked down the steps, through the castle and into the Great Hall for dinner. Remus and Peter were sitting down and spooning food onto their plates. "Hey, where's Sirius?" Evy asked as she and James sat down.

"He went back to the common room. He said he had to change something," Peter said before spooning a lump of potato into his mouth.

"I think you mean he had to fix something," Remus said pointedly, glancing in Peter's direction.

Peter looked up from his food and shrugged. "That's not what Sirius said to us," Peter pointed out. Remus shook his head and cut into his chicken breast.

A few minutes later, Sirius bounded through the Great Hall and sat next to Evy. She turned in her seat just a fraction towards him. "Evy, I am so sorry," Sirius began. "I was mean and I was out of line and I shouldn't have said anything like that."

"It's ok Sirius," Evy said. "I shouldn't have picked on you about the chocolates. That was mean of me."

"It's ok, Evy," Sirius said, nudging her knee underneath the table.

"So are we going to study for Transfiguration tonight?" Remus asked.

"You bet," James smiled. Everyone looked at him like he had grown a second head before he shrugged and mumbled. "What, it's like my only good subject."

Evy and Peter laughed. "That and Flying," Remus noted.

"True," Jame smirked.

"We should go get our books. Study in the library? The common room is full of couples sitting by the fire," Peter suggested.

"Great. I'll meet you guys there in half an hour," Evy said before leaving the table. She rushed up to her dorm room, hoping she had enough time for a quick shower before she had to study. She grabbed her towel and soaps before stopping in the middle of her dormitory. A small, yellow box had been placed onto her bed with a card attached. As Evy moved closer, she saw that the box was a metal tin with the design of a cartoon sun on the lid. The sun smiled up at her, then winked.

Evy pulled the plain white envelope off the top of the tin and opened it. She slid out a card with a vase of flowers on the front. Inside the top line was scribbled over so much that Evy couldn't read it. The rest of the card read:

 _Evy,_

 _ **XXXXXXXXX**_ _..You are my sunshine._

 _Looks like I get to be your first ever Valentine's gift. And this is the first Valentine's gift I've ever given anyone. Let's keep that a secret between us._

 _XOXO_

 _Sirius_

Evy had to read the card three times to be sure she had understood it. Sirius gave her a Valentine's Gift… How strange… She pulled off the lid and nestled inside was an assortment of chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, and fizzing whizzbees along with some sort of muggle chocolate called Hersheys that came in an ugly brown wrapper.

Evy smiled and tucked the card under her pillow. She stashed her candy away before any of her roommates noticed and retreated to the washroom for her shower. Perhaps Valentine's Day wasn't such a horrible holiday after all.

***Please, please, please review! They really make my day and encourage me to keep on writing!


	8. Pranks

"That's a horrible idea!" Evy shrieked as Sirius finished telling her their plan for scaring the owls out of the Owlery. "Fireworks! Do you know how dangerous that is? You could hurt one of the owls you idiots!"

"Told you she wouldn't go for it mate," James said, crossing his arms and grinning.

"Shove it," Sirius mumbled. "Well, if you don't like it, why don't you come up with something better Evy? You never have any good pranks."

"Oh really?" Evy's voice dropped to a low growl. Sirius slid back a few inches on the couch while James shrunk in his chair. Evy's voice was venomous when she was angry. They didn't want to push her to that angry breaking point.

"Well," James started, "What was the last prank you came up with? You always help out—and mind you you're a great help—but you never seem to come up with any ideas."

"You want ideas?" Evy said. "Fine. Hold on, I'll be right back." Evy jumped to her feet and flew up the steps two at a time until she reached the girls' dormitory. She ruffled through her drawers, ignoring Lily's curious stares, and bounded back down the steps with a tiny black and white bottle in hand.

She dropped the bottle onto James lap and placed her hands on her trim hips. "So do you boys know the way to the Prefects' bathroom?" she asked.

James laughed while Sirius quirked an eyebrow at him. "What's the big idea?" he asked.

James held up the box. On the front was a smiling lady with bright green hair. "We're going to dye their hair!" James laughed.

Sirius smiled. "Brilliant," he said.

"And you said I have no good ideas?" Evy smirked at him. Finally she could show them that she wasn't just a tagalong.

"It doesn't count until you've actually completed the prank," Sirius said. "And besides, now you need to figure out not only how to get into the Prefects' bathroom, but how to do it without getting caught and figure out how to get this into their shampoo without them noticing. So good luck figuring out that one."

"Yeah, but you never do a prank alone, do you Sirius?" Evy asked. "Or you, James?"

James shook his head. "Oh no. You're not bringing me into this one. You've got to do this all on your own Evy."

"Oh come on, that's not fair," Evy stomped her foot and crossed her arms.

James held out the hair dye and shook his head. "Want to be a Marauder? You have to prank like one?"

"A Marauder?" Evy asked.

"James," Sirius whined, her head lolling back. He ran his finger through his hair. "Why would you tell her about that?"

"About what?" Evy asked.

"It's not a big deal, mate. Pretty soon the whole school is going to know about us. The Marauders! Best pranksters of Hogwarts since 1971. Has a nice ring to it, I think."

"But it's only supposed to be the four of us boys. No girls, remember?" Sirius said.

Evy huffed. "Fine. If you don't want me in your little boys club, just say so."

"We don't want you to be in our club," Sirius barked.

"It's not a club, mate," James said, ignoring the fact that Evy was getting redder and redder beside him.

"Fine. I'll prank the Prefects and I'll do it on my own. Besides, Marauders is a stupid name anyway," Evy bolted back to the girls' dormitory before James or Sirius could say anything in reply.

As she slammed the door shut, Evy began to feel the string of tears in her eyes. "Stupid boys," she murmured, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her robe.

"What did the stupid boys do now?" Maureen asked. Maureen was another Gryffindor first year who had tried to be a loner for the first few months of school. It turns out she was warmer than Evy or Lily gave her credit for and after trying to talk to her a few times, Maureen finally opened up like a flower. She was bubbly and cheery once they got Maureen talking.

"I bet it was only James who was being stupid," Lily said.

"No, it was James and Sirius," Evy sniffed. "They… They said... Oh, I hate being a girl!" Evy shouted and tossed the bottle of hair dye across the room. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, and this time she didn't bother to wipe them away.

Lily walked over and retrieved the bottle. "They wanted you to dye your hair this color!" Lily shrieked in outrage. "But you have such pretty blond hair. How could they be so stupid? Oh, the nerve of those gits, I should…"

"No, Lily," Evy shook her head. "They didn't want me to dye my hair. It's for a prank. A prank they won't help me with because I'm not a Marauder."

"A Marauder?" Maureen asked.

"It's what they're calling their all-boys club. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. The Marauders. Sounds dumb," Evy decided.

"Really dumb," Maureen agreed.

"What was the prank?" Lily asked, placing the bottle on her lap as she sat down on the foot of Evy's bed. "Think we can do it to them?"

Evy sniffed, then stopped. Perhaps they could prank the Marauders… Girls were able to sneak into the boys' dormitories after all. She could put some of the dye in their shampoo and by tomorrow night…

"Lily, you're brilliant," Evy beamed. "I'm going to dye the Marauders' hair green. I'm sure Slytherins all over the school would approve."

"Ooh, that's borderline evil, Evy," Maureen smiled. "I'll help!"

"If it means getting back at that lot for making you cry, I'm in," Lily said, tossing the bottle to Evy. "So what's the plan?"

Evy smirked and huddle the girls a bit closer. After about an hour, and a quick look through a Charms book Evy had borrowed from the library, they had a solid plan ready to go. Tomorrow in Herbology, the boys were going to get awfully dirty. And what better time to go and scrub all of that impending mud and muck out of their hair then before their next class…

Evy, Lily and Maureen tried to hide their smiles as Professor Adelby marched up and down, watching the students repot katterpod. The girls' glances between the Marauders and each other was becoming distracting. Twice Evy missed her pot attempting to shove the fat bottoms of the katterpod into their new clay pots. Lily dropped hers on the floor and quickly scooped it up before Adeleby could see. Maureen was humming nervously to herself, her foot tapping along the wooden floor.

"Guys, we've got to pull ourselves together," Lily whispered. "They'll know we're up to something if we keep acting like we've never done a prank before."

"Have you ever pranked anyone before?" Maureen asked.

"Once," Lily shrugged. "I planted a whoopie cushion under Eddie O'Malley's chair in second grade."

"What's a whoopie cushion?" Evy asked.

"Something you'll want to use against the Marauders," Lily winked and shoveled some more dirt into her pot.

"Adeleby has his back to us," Maureen nudged.

"Do it now," Lily said.

Evy charmed a nearby bag of cattle manure and lifted it ten feet in the air. With her wand tucked under the sleeve of her robe, she guided the bag until it hovered just above the Marauders' heads. Then she tilted it in one quick move.

"Oh gross," Peter said.

"What the shite!" Remus swore, dancing up and down on his feet like it would shake off all of the cow dung.

"Bloody hell," James said, trying to wipe it off and smearing it into his hair and forehead.

Sirius was just speechless, a large chunk of manure piled on top of his head like a hill.

Once the bag was empty, she let it fall on their heads as well. Evy stuffed her wand back into her robe pocket. The class turned towards the Marauders and erupted into fits of laughter.

"Who did that?" Adeleby turned on his small feet, his cane clacking against the floor as he stomped up and down the aisles.

The class continued to laugh, but no one raised their hands or pointed in anyone's direction. It seemed like no one had seen Evy's handiwork. She breathed a slow sigh of relief that she was not going to be thrown in detention and that the prank against the Marauders was on schedule.

"God, that reeks," one of the Hufflepuff students said.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Maureen chimed in.

"The four of you, out! Go shower, for heaven's sake," Adeleby shouted, pointing at the Marauders. "Now who did this?"

The rest of the class was a blur. The students' chatter was a constant distractions as they finished repotting katterpod. The students talked amongst themselves while Adeleby glared at every one of them, as if staring would help him discover the culprit.

Evy remained cool as a cucumber throughout the class, talking to Lily and Maureen as if they had no idea this was going to happen. Fortunately, the boys had no idea what was about to happen either.

As the students washed off their hands and made their way back to the castle, the girls finally burst into hysterics. "Did you see James' face?" Lily shrieked.

"No, there was too much brown to see anything," Maureen giggled.

"Oh God, poor Peter, he didn't know what to do. Just stood there," Evy laughed.

"And Sirius, oh God he's going to have a hard time getting that out of his hair," Lily laughed.

"I really hope that charm you found works Evy," Maureen said.

"It should work. Normally hair ye takes a long time for it to set and sometimes you have to bleach hair first. This should help the color set almost instantly."

"Won't it turn the rest of their hair green? Like their eyebrows and the hair on their arms?" Lily asked.

"We'll find out!" Maureen laughed.

The girls rushed faster towards the dungeons, ready for the show. Taking their usual seats, they unpacked and sat, anxiously waiting.

"Graham!" a shout echoed around the stone walls. Four figures with bright green hair and green caterpillar eyebrows stomped into potions class, their faces flushed red. They almost passed for Christmas decorations.

The students laughed and pointed as the Marauders stomped towards the girls. "Graham," Sirius huffed as he made his way up to them. "Why I oughta…"

"Nice one, mate," James said, holding his hand out to Evy. Evy looked at his hand wearily, then shook it. "You got us good. Now boys, let's go plot our revenge!" James smiled.

"I thought what you did with your hand ealier was our revenge?" Peter asked. "Or did it dry already?"

Evy's jaw dropped. She looked at her hand like it had fallen off and sprouted legs. Small, dry flecks of white stuff were splattered along her palm. She rushed to the sink, the boys cackling behind her. "Next time we'll make you shake hands with all four of us," Sirius shouted behind her.

Evy scrubbed her hand until it was pink, getting off any possible germs that could have lingered. Oh they might have gotten her this time, but next time, she would be prepared…


	9. Panic

Evy began writing out another outline for Professor Slughorn about the ingredients and potential uses of the Babbling Beverage potions when Lily stormed into their dormitory. She looked around wildly as Evy continued to scribble on her parchment paper.

"My handwriting is not that terrible," Evy huffed. "I don't care what Slughorne says. I just happen to have my own font. Anyone with half a brain could clearly see that I had written down 'Wolfsbane' in my last essay. Not 'wolf blood.' Stupid git."

Lily said nothing.

Evy glanced up from her paper, surprised that the bright redhead didn't jump her favorite professor's defense. "Hey, you there?" she asked.

When Lily didn't say anything again, Evy craned her neck to look Lily in the eye. Lily's face was as pale as Nearly Headless Nick. She trembled, her body pressed against the doorframe as if she had seen a dementor. "Lily, what's wrong?" Evy asked, standing up from her chair.

"Is… is anyone else here?" Lily whispered, looking around the room.

Evy shook her head. "No, it's just us. Lils, what's wrong? Do you need to go see Madam Pomphrey? You look ill."

Lily shook her head, her red waves whipping back and forth. "No! No, I mean. I'm fine. Evy,.. Evy, I needto tell you something, but you have to keep it a secret."

"Alright," Evy said.

"No!" Lily huffed, "No, I mean it, Evy. This is huge. Please. Promise me."

Evy nodded and walked over to Lily. She let Lily lean on her as she sat her on the edge of Lily's bed. Lily's skin felt cold and clammy as Evy pressed the back of her hand to Lily's forehead to be sure she wasn't running a fever. It was something her older sister did for her and somehow it felt comforting to Evy. "What's wrong? What secret? Lily, you're freaking me out girl…"

"It's about Remus," Lily muttered, staring Evy in the eye. Lily's green eyes flashed like wildfire. Fear and worry vibrated from her, like even a knock on the door might send her into an anxiety attack. But what could gentle, kind Remus have done to frighten lily so much?

"What about Remus?" Evy asked. Sitting next to Lily, she wrapped a blanket around her friend, trying to warm up her skin. Evy wondered how Lily could feel so cold…

"He's… he's…. Oh God, Evy. He's a werewolf," Lily moaned.

Evy would have thought this was the worst prank ever if Lily wasn't so frightened. Lily was a poor actress and a terrible liar. And no one could make their skin feel so clammy or their eyes shine so bright like that without a good reason. "Lily," Evy began. "Are you sure? How do you know this? Did he tell you?"

"No. I figured it out," Lily's hollow voice squeaked a little as she spoke. "He's gone every full moon. He's always sick, or visiting a family member. Every month, Evy. Always during the full moon. And the professors never say anything, but some of them give him these looks. Almost like they want to keep their distance from him. But he's one of the nicest people. It didn't add up until I put the moon cycle into the mix… It all makes sense, Evy."

Evy shook her head. "No, you could just be jumping to conclusions, Lily. That's a heavy accusation."

"I went to the library and researched the last cycles of the moon this year. Every full moon, he is gone, nowhere to be seen. For days. Then he comes back and it's like he's run a marathon. He's tired for a few more days, and sometimes he has some new scratches or scars too. And he acts like he's getting over a cold. He skittish. He's vague when you ask him how his sick family member is doing, or how is his illness? Every illness he uses as his excuse is something Madam Pomphrey could cure in an hour. But he's out for days."

Evy shook her head, refusing to believe one of her best friends might be a monster. "No. No, you're wrong. Remus can't be a werewolf. He wouldn't harm anyone."

"So what? He wouldn't have a choice. Werewolves can't control themselves when they transform. Remus could have murdered people for all we know." Lily's body trembled, shaking the bed. She heaved, trying to breathe as her breath became quick and shallow, like the oxygen had been sucked from the room. She panted, like there wasn't enough air getting to her lungs. "Can't breathe," she choked.

Evy helped her stand before levitating Lily into the air a few inches with her wand. "We're going to Madame Pomphrey. Close your eyes Lily and just focus on breathing," Evy said. Lily obeyed and tried to breathe slower as Evy escorted her out of the room. Evy jogged with Lily levitating a few feet in front of her. "Just focus on my voice," she panted, trying to sound calm as she raced down the corridors. "Everything is alright." In a few minutes, Lily's breathing had slowed to a more steady, even breath. Evy walked them both into the hospital wing and set Lily down on a bed.

"What on earth…" Madame Pomphrey murmured.

"She had some sort of panic attack. We were just talking and something got her flustered and she just started having trouble breathing. She was shaking and cold and…"

"It's alright, Ms. Graham. Take it easy before you have an attack too. Sit over there," Madam Pomphrey said, pointing to a seat next to Lily's bed. As Evy sat, Madame Pomphrey turned and examined Lily, going through some routine questions about how she was feeling before this happened, how she felt now, what might have caused it.

"Um, I'd rather not talk about it," Lily said, glancing nervously at Evy before turning back to Madame Pomphrey, She rubbed her arm and looked down, a faint blush tinted her cheeks. "It's silly. I feel fine now."

"I would like to know. This might trigger another attack if you continue to talk about a subject that bothers you. It might help if I informed some of the professors of what was troubling you too."

"Werewolves," Evy said. "We were just talking about werewolves. And what they're like when they're transformed."

"Oh?" Madame Pomphrey said. She paused, glancing between the two girls, who kept their heads bowed down.

Lily kept rubbing her arm. Evy stared at the tips of her shoes.

"Oh," Madame Pomphrey said again, this time her face falling into a grimace. Her lips flattened into a thin, pink line. "I can see why that topic might be particularly frightening. But girls, let me tell you both this. When they are in human form, most werewolves are nothing to fear. The wolf does not define the person. Good people can be werewolves too. Some of them have very tragic accidents happen when they are young. Don't let that shade your judgment of someone."

"But… but how do we know that we're safe? When people transform into werewolves, they don't know who they are. They turn into monsters. Killers even, and…" Evy said.

"Dumbledore has ensured that no matter what, the students will always be safe from any roaming werewolves. Just stay inside the castle during the full moon. There are no werewolves roaming the grounds, but it's best not to go looking for trouble."

"Trouble usually finds us," Evy murmured.

"Ms. Evans, I think what would be best for you is some rest. And perhaps maybe you should both avoid discussing the topic of werewolves with your fellow students. We can keep this between us girls for now," Madame Pomphrey said with a smile.

"You heard her then" Evy said, jumping to her feet. "Off to bed with you."

"Yes, mom," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"But you might want to get a shower," Evy suggested.

Lily glared at her as the girls walked out of the hospital wing. "I don't stink," she huffed.

"I never said you did. But you were kind of sweaty earlier and you might want to shower before you go lay down. It'll help you feel better. And I'll bring you some food from the Great Hall, alright?" Evy suggested.

"Oh," Lily blinked in surprise. "That's a good idea."

"I have those once in a while," Evy smirked.

"Thanks Evy," Lily said, stopping by the staircase leading to the Gryffindor common room. "Really, you didn't have to do this. You're a really good friend," Lily smiled and Evy's chest churned, a warmth spreading from her chest to the tips of her toes and top of her head.

"You're a good friend too Lily," Evy smiled. "Now get upstairs. Just because I didn't _say_ you stink doesn't mean it's not true." She laughed and turned away from the redhead whose jaw dropped and whose skin turned fifty shades of pink.

"I'll be back with food! You can't be mad at me if I bring you food!" Evy shouted behind her as she bolted down the hall. She heard Lily shout something back but couldn't quite make it out. She thought she heard something about cake… Cake sounded good!

Evy's smile faltered as she strode into the Great Hall, seeing the Marauders sitting across the room. She sighed and strode over towards them. _The wolf does not define the person._ Madame Pomphrey's words echoed in her mind like a clip from a movie. She smiled and waved at the boys and she grabbed two plates. She started piling them high with food.

"What're you doing?" Sirius asked with his mouth half full of shepherd's pie. Chunks of mashed food flew from his mouth as he talked.

"Ew," she murmured. "Close your mouth. You eat like a hog."

Sirius tried to make a snorting noise, but he choked a little on his food. The boys laughed at him as he swallowed his mouthful of food before shoveling another heaping spoonful into his mouth.

"We're just growing boys, Evy. We need to eat," Peter chimed in with his boyish smile.

"Right. And you're a growing girl so eat with us," Remus said, patting the seat beside him.

A small flurry of nerves tingled in her stomach as she watched Remus, weary of his movements like he might turn into a wolf at any second if she wasn't too careful. She shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm going to go eat with Lily." She added a chocolate éclair to the sides of each of their plates.

"Isn't she coming down here to eat?" James asked.

"No, she's not feeling well," she answered.

"What's wrong with her?" James asked, jumping to his feet. "Is she in the hospital wing? What happened?"

"Calm down, Romeo" she said. "She went to the hospital wing. She was worried about classes and almost had a panic attack. She's fine but Madame Pomphrey said she needs rest."

"I'll go help her rest. Rub her feet or something. Sing her a lullaby. Something to make her feel better!" He darted off towards the common room, leaving a plate full of food behind.

"Aren't you going to try to stop him?" Remus asked, his eyebrow quirking up in amusement.

"Why bother?" Evy said. "It's not like he can get up the stairs to the girls' dormitory anyway." The three boys laughed.

Evy smiled a little as she tried to balance two heavy plates of food in both hands.

"Let me help," Remus said, jumping from his seat and lifting one of the plates in his hands, smiling at Evy.

"No, it's alright. I've got it," she said, trying to balance one of the plates on one hand. As she held out her free hand for Remus to put the second plate in it, the first plate wobbled, the éclair falling to the floor. "Oops," she mumbled, placing the plate back on the table and adding another éclair to it.

"That's it, I'm helping," Remus said. He whistled an annoying tune and he walked out of the Great Hall, carrying one of the plates in both hands. Evy sighed and took her plate, following him out of the hall.

He turned back towards her, the smile slipping from his face when he saw her expression. "Is everything alright Evy?"

"Why are you being so nice?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Guess that's just how I am, maybe? I never really thought about it."

"That's just the kind of person you are," she mumbled.

"Um, yeah?" he said. "Are you sure you're alright, Evy? Maybe Lily caught some sort of bug and now you're getting it? No offense, but you look rather pale."

"Remus," Evy said as they wound up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. "Lily knows about you. I know about you… We know your secret."

Remus' face fell as they reached the top of the steps. He gripped the railing with one hand and sunk onto the top step. Luckily no one was around to hear them. Evy sat down beside him, resting the food beside her. "How?" his voice cracked.

"We both know how smart Lily is. She figured it out. You always being sick and all…" Evy reached over and patted his hand. For a moment, she expected him to flinch or pull away from her.

Instead Remus held her hand like it was his only tie to the world around him. They sat on the steps in silence for a moment. "Is that why Lily's in bed? She had a panic attack over me? Over what I am?"

Evy grimaced. "Well, kind of, yeah. She was worried that she was right. She was worried about you and it being a secret. She felt overwhelmed when she found out, like she didn't want to be right, but she knew she was. She as worried. I was too."

"Why are you still talking to me then if you know? Why didn't you tell the Marauders?" he asked.

Evy shrugged. "It's not my secret to tell. And you're still a good friend Remus. It might take a bit of getting used to, knowing my friend's a…well, you know. You're a good person Remus. The wolf doesn't define the person."

Remus turned to her, his eyes wide with surprise. "You… you really think that?" he asked.

Her warm smile melted the last traces of worry in his eyes. "Of course I think that, you git!"

Remus chuckled. "Thanks, Evy. Not a lot of people… I've always worried if anyone found out that they'd hate me. That'd they'd think I'm a monster. But I'm not. Really I'm not. I've never hurt a person before, honest. Maybe a few rabbits, but that's been it. Promise."

Evy smiled. "I know Remus. You'd never hurt anyone."

"Can…can you do me a favor? Well, two really," he asked.

"Sure Remus. Anything," she said.

"Can you promise me you and Lily won't tell anyone? This… I want this to stay a secret, alright. Even from the Marauders."

"My lips are sealed," she promised.

"And… And can you tell Lily I'm sorry I caused this. If I'd thought she known… That she'd even guess it, I'd have told her myself. The shock… It must have been a lot for her. I didn't want to worry anyone. Can you please tell her I'm sorry for her panic attack?" he asked, his free hand fidgeting in his lap.

Evy smiled. "I'll tell her, but I'm sure she'd tell you that you have nothing to apologize for. Now come on and help me get this food to Lily before James decides to steal a broom and fly some up to her. And don't give him any idea!" she teased. The two of them jumped to their feet and bounded back up to their common room, walking a bit closer than they had before, wearing twin smiles.

*****Hi everyone! I'm sorry it took me so long to post another chapter, but I made it a bit longer than usual. I hope that sort of make up for the delay. Please please review! Pretty please!


	10. Sisters

"How did you exams go, Lily?" Evy asked as the first year Gryffindor girls walked down the steps to the Great Hall for supper.

"I think I did well, but I should have studied a bit more for Herbology. Professor Adeleby really tricked up us with that essay on dittany. He asked us to name all of the known uses for it. I think there were about twelve but I could only remember eleven. I'm going to be kicking myself all month until I get my results back." Lily sighed and heaved her book bag higher up on her shoulder.

Maureen sighed. "I'm sure you did great Lily. I bet you'll get top marks in everything. I just hope Professor Slughorn takes it easy on us with his grading. I don't remember seeing an alihosty draught potion in _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. I could be wrong though. Maybe I just didn't see it?"

"That's because it was in our _Book of Potions_ textbook," Lily said.

"Oh," Maureen said. "So do you think they'll let me repeat my first year or will they just throw me out for being too dumb to be a proper witch?"

Evy laughed. "I'm sure you did fine. If it makes you feel any better, by potion turned blue. I think it was supposed to be a sunny, cheery yellow and smell like sunflowers. Mine smelled like sweat socks."

Maureen smiled. "Well, maybe I wasn't the only one who did badly. Think he'll grade us on a curve?"

The three girls walked into the Great Hall and sat down to dinner. Trays of delicious food spilled out across the table in an abundant feast, fit for royalty. And this was what dinner was like every night. "I'm going to miss this when we go home. Back to my dad's awful cooking," Evy winced as she piled a mountain of mashed sweet potatoes and brown sugar onto a plate.

"Hello ladies," James said, leaning on the table and winking at Lily.

"Hi boys," Maureen said, smiling at them. Evy nodded with a mouthful of potatoes.

"That's attractive," Sirius smirked as she loaded another spoonful into her mouth. Evy smiled, mushed orange potato squeezing out between the cracks in her teeth. "Nice," Sirius laughed. Remus and Peter shook their heads.

"I think it's time," James said, nodding towards the Marauders.

"Time for what?" Maureen asked.

"Oh no, don't ask him! Now he's going to…" Lily groaned.

"To what?" Evy asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good," Lily replied.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Witches and wizards! Please, can I have everyone's attention?" James shouted, standing up on their table, waving his hands in the air. Dozens of eyes faced him, everyone pausing to watch the spectacle unfolding at the Gryffindor table.

"As you all know, Lily Evans is the most charming…"

"Oh no," Lily whispered.

"Wonderful, smart…"

"Please stop," she groaned.

"And beautiful witch ever to have lived. So I am here to announce my undying love to Lily in front of the whole school. And now I ask, Lily Evans, will you be my girlfriend?" James turned, beaming down at Lily.

Lily's face turned white as Peeves. She shook her head. "Nope. No. No way. Not going to happen." Lily stood up and walked out of the Great Hall. Snape jumped from his seat at the Slytherin table and followed behind her. The students in the great Hall looked back at James. When his shoulders slumped and he said nothing, they tuned back to their meal, some of them snickering, others whispering.

"Well that didn't go as planned," James sat down with an annoyed look on his face. "And now Snivellus is going to remind her how much she should hate me. I don't know why she evn talks to that bloody idiot." James speared a potato and dropped it onto his plate. It bounced off and hit the floor with a soft "thunk."

"Because he's nice to her, and doesn't try to embarrass her with his undying love every chance he gets. Maybe you should leave the poor girl alone for a little while," Evy suggested. "If you bother her constantly, then of course she…"

"Bother!" James gasped, clutching his hand over his heart like he'd been wounded. "James Potter is never a bother. I just need her to come around. Just wait. She'll see the light. One day."

Evy rolled her eyes. "So how'd your exams go, Remus?" she asked.

"Oy, what about the rest of us?" Sirius asked, poking Evy in the ribs. She giggled. A small smile played on the corner of Sirius' lip, but he tilted his head to hide it from her.

Remus glanced at Sirius and gave him a knowing smile. "I think we all did alright. How about you?"

"I think I did ok. I know I nailed Charms. Perfect marks. But I'm not so sure about Transfiguration. Last time I checked, rabbits weren't supposed to have scales. I'm sure McGonagall will knock me down a few points for that mistake."

"Nah, I'm sure she'll take it easy on us," Maureen said. "This is her first year as head of Gryffindor house. I think that'll buy us a couple of extra points with her."

"Oh, will it?" Professor McGonagall's tight voice echoed from behind Maureen.

"P…p…professor," she stammered, turning in her seat to face McGonagall. "I'm sorry. We were only joking. We were just talking about our exams and…"

"Miss O'Brien, I only give out the marks a student deserves, regardless of their house," McGonagall said. "Rest assured, you will receive the mark you _earned_ , not the one you think you deserve. I do not play favorites. I play fair." With a flick of her purple robes billowing out behind her, McGonagall stomped down the aisle towards the staff table.

"You're lucky she didn't try to take away house points," Peter said. "We've got a chance of beating Hufflepuff this year."

"Stupid do-gooders," James murmured.

Evy laughed. "Well as long as you four don't cause any problems, we might have a shot."

"I can't believe our first year is over already," Sirius sighed. "I don't want to leave."

"Well, its only two months until we're back here," James said. "And you can all come visit me whenever you want."

"Thanks but my parents hate your family. They don't understand how pure-bloods can be in Gryffindor. So of course, now I'm the new shame of the family. Man, this is going to be a rough summer at home," Sirius smirked.

"Well, they'll just have to get over it," Evy said.

Sirius let out a bitter laugh, his dark hair failing down in his face. "Right. Go ask a zebra to change it stripes and let me know how that works out for you."

"I think it's a leopard and its spots," Remus remarked.

"Look at the know-it-all. Should have been a Ravenclaw," James joked.

"Don't laugh. I almost was," Remus said.

"So was I," Evy chimed in.

"Really?" Peter asked. "I could have been a Hufflepuff. When I heard 'Gryffindor' I thought it was a fluke. The Sorting Hat told me three times that it was right and to get off the stool and go sit down."

Everyone laughed, the mood lightening. The black cloud that hung over the table seemed to rise and burn with the floating candles above them. "So any grand end-of-the-year pranks from The Marauders?" Maureen asked.

"No, we cut a deal with a few Ravenclaws. They want to have the last laugh since they're seventh years. We decided to plan up for next year so we can walk in with a bang!" James exclaimed.

"Why do I get the feeling he means a literal 'bang'?" Evy asked.

"You'll just have to wait to find out," Remus smiled.

"I wonder if Tabby is involved." Evy said.

"Your goody-two-shoes sister? I doubt it. She's been too busy sucking face with Henry Ackleboxer from Slytherin all semester," Maureen said.

"Ew," Evy shrieked. "What? How do you know this?"

"Are you blind? They're like the hottest couple in Hogwarts right now," Maureen rolled her eyes. "Don't you talk to your sister?"

"Sometimes" Evy blushed. "But she mostly talks to Beth. They don't really like hanging out with their kid sister."

"Well, maybe you should try to talk to them more," Peter suggested. "It might be tough, since you're in different years. And you're all in different houses. And one of them is a Prefect. The other is on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. I mean… Well, I guess I can see why you don't get to talk to them much."

"You'll have all summer to catch up," Sirius placed a warm hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. A little flurry in Evy's belly rumbled. Must be the potatoes…

"And you have Tabby's graduation to look forward to," Remus smiled at her.

"You're right guys. I guess I just don't know why I feel left out. I should go write to my parents. I'll see you guys tomorrow at House Cup ceremony. Save me a seat?"

"Of course," Sirius said, frowning as he watched her get up and walk out of the room.

Evy wander around the school halls, going nowhere in particular. Just walking. She wandered up and up a long spiral staircase, watching her feet move one in front of the other. When she was I front of a large door at the top of the steps, she stopped. The large brown door looked heavy. There was no knocker or knob—only a small eagle where a knob should be The Ravenclaw common room.

She stood with her feet frozen in place and waited, but the eagle said nothing. No surprise. She wasn't a Ravenclaw or a professor. Evy crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting for someone to come and open the door.

A few minutes later, a group of third year Ravenclaw girls came up the steps and stared at her. "You're not allowed in there," one of the girls said.

 _And this is the house of wit and wisdom? Thanks professor Obvious._ "I know. I'm a Gryffindor," Evy said. "I need to talk to my sister, Tabby. I didn't see her in the Great Hall. I was wondering if one of you could go and check if she's inside. I need to talk to her. It's a…family problem."

A girl with jet black hair rolled her eyes. "Fine, we'll check. What's your name?"

"Evy Graham," she said.

"Alright, Evy. We'll help you look for your sister. But you have to do something for us," the black haired girl said.

"Alright. What is it?" Evy asked.

"Can you tell Sirius Black to meet me by the statue of the Phoenix on the third floor tonight an hour before curfew?" she asked, a slight blush tinting her stoic face.

"Sure, what's your name?" Evy asked.

"Henrietta Vane," she replied.

"Alright. You find my sister, I'll tell Sirius to meet you there tonight."

"I never said I'd find your sister. She might not be in there," she frowned.

"Well I said I'd tell Sirius to meet you there. I can't drag him to the statue for you if he doesn't want to go," Evy snapped.

"Just forget her," one of the two blonde haired girls said.

"No, I need to talk to Sirius," the black haired girl aid to her friend. "Fine. I'll find your sister. Let's go." The three girls answered the password and marched inside, all three of them rolling their eyes at Evy. "Obnoxious Gryffindors. Think they own the place," she mumbled.

The door closed behind them. "Look at the know-it-all. Should have been a Ravenclaw," Evy grumbled in a low voice, trying to sound like James and failing terribly.

A moment later, Tabby stepped out of the common room, her face flushed. "Evy, is everything alright? What's the emergency?" she panted.

"There's no emergency," Evy said. "I never said there was one. Just that I wanted to talk to you."

Tabby sighed, trying to catch her breath. Clearly she had rushed out of there to see her sister. "Evy, you scared me half to death. I thought mom… dad… oh, never mind. What's wrong? Why did you want to talk?"

"Do I need a reason?" Evy shrugged. "I haven't talked to you all semester. And I just found out today that you've been dating a Slytherin boy." Evy's face cringed in disgust.

Tabby frowned. "You shouldn't judge, Evy. You walk around with that Black boy like it's alright and his family's horrible. At least Henry comes from a respectable Slytherin family."

"There's nothing wrong with Sirius. He's not like his family," Evy huffed, crossing her arms. "You don't know him."

"And you don't know Henry." Tabby stooped down a bit to reach her sister's height. "Look, Evy, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was going to introduce him to you at the graduation ceremony at the end of the week. He's special to me." Tabby's face softened, her eyes glistening and her smile brightening the entire Ravenclaw tower. "I'm in love with him, Evy."

"Oh," she paused, staring at her sister. "Well…um…congratulations?" Her eyebrow raised in confusion.

Tabby laughed. "Thanks, Evy. And listen, I promise I'll spend more time with you this summer, alright? Maybe I can show you some of the things I've learned. Henry is teaching me to fly a bit better. Maybe I can go higher than ten feet without worrying about falling off my Nimbus 100 this summer."

Evy laughed. "Yeah, you've always been terrible. Kind of funny how Beth is amazing but we both suck at Quidditch."

"Language, Evy," Tabby scolded with a smile. "And I promise, next year when you're in Hogwarts, I'll write to you every week. Let you know how mom and dad are doing. But you have to promise to write back, alright?"

"Ok," Evy smiled at her sister.

"Good." Tabby bent down and squeezed her sister in a tight hug. "Now go start packing. Mom and dad won't want you waiting until the last minute. You might miss the train."

"Alright," Evy said, rushing down the steps. Maybe, finally, this would be a chance for her to be closer to her sisters.

*********Thank you everyone! Please, please review! I can't tell you how much your reviews brighten up my day!


	11. Summer Plans

Evy stifled a large yawn as she closed her trunk, packing the last of her belongings away except for a pair of pajamas and a set of clothes for the train ride home tomorrow. She slapped on her pointed black hat before slipping into her robes for the House Cup Ceremony. "I need more sleep," Evy said, stretching her arm out, letting out another loud yawn.

"Stop it, you're making me yawn," Maureen said, her mouth unhinging and a breathy sound escaping.

Lily walked past her and froze before making a gagging noise. "Maureen, when was the last time you brushed your teeth? It smells like a troll died in there…"

Evy laughed. Maureen blushed. "I brushed last night, but I ran out of mouthwash. Unless you know a decent mouthwash spell or a breath freshening charm, don't judge."

"Hold on, I think I have some mints," Lily said, rummaging through one of her bags. She pulled out a pack of mints and tossed them to Maureen. "Eat a couple of those. It'll help… for now."

Maureen popped four of the tiny white mints into her mouth. "Ready?" she asked, crunching down on the candy with a loud cracking sound.

"I'm good," Evy said, walking down the steps to the Gryffindor common room, Lily and Maureen trailing behind her. "Looks like we're going to be late," she stared around the empty common room.

"Let's go," Lily said, dashing off through the portrait hole and down the steps. The two girls followed behind her as they wound their way down to the Great Hall for the feast. They ran down the Gryffindor table, stopping next to the Marauders.

"Hufflepuff wins the house cup!" Dumbledore announced in a loud, booming voice. The Hufflepuff house clapped loudly with a few shouts of "wohoo" and "yeah."

"Well they're an excited lot," Sirius mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Well, if you hadn't given professor Slughorn a goblet full of slugs as an end of term present, maybe we would have had enough points to beat them this year," Remus said.

"You did what?!" Lily shouted.

"Shh, keep your voice down a little," Maureen said, tugging on Lily's arm. "It's too late to do anything about it now."

"You little twerp," Lily scowled.

Evy glanced up and down the Hufflepuff table. She caught Beth's eye as the sisters beamed at one another. Evy gave her sister a thumbs up and Beth mouthed "thank you." She watched Beth turn to face a boy who was sitting beside her. The two of them smiled at each other and squeezed each other's hands before letting go.

A small burst of sadness punch Evy's gut. How long had Beth been dating someone? She hadn't said anything to her. Did Tabby know? What was it in the pumpkin juice at Hogwarts that turned her sisters boy crazy?

Banners decorated with the Hogwarts crest shimmered as their colors shifted to black and gold, with a large, moving badger emblazoned in the middle. The floating candles above their heads turned colors to the gold and black of Hufflepuff house. The Fat Friar laughed as he bounced around the walls like a ghostly tennis ball.

The students slowly sank down into their seats as the food appeared before their eyes. Mounds of steaming meats and potatoes lined the middle of the table along with pitchers of pumpkin juice and trays of fresh pastries and heaping bowls of ice cream that stayed magically frozen in the bowls.

"Man, I'm going to miss this place," Sirius said, shoveling a few large pieces of prime rib onto his plate.

"Summer will be over before you know it," James said, giving Sirius a small, sympathetic smile.

"Besides, we've got lots of homework to keep you busy," Remus said. The rest of the Marauders and Evy groaned.

"Thank for the reminder, Remus," Evy scowled, slapping down a lump of garlic mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"You're welcome" he rolled his eyes. "Anyone doing anything fun this summer?" he asked.

"I'm going to a summer camp," Lily said. "It should be interesting. Lots of muggle children go to summer camps around our age. I've heard they can be quite fun."

"If you have to try to convince us its fun, I doubt its any fun at all," Peter said.

"Well, I'm trying to make the best of it," she sighed. "Frankly it sounds boring. I'd much rather be at home getting ready for next year. Even homework and essays sound more exciting than making friendship bracelets with string."

"Wow, that does sound boring," James said before shoveling a spoonful of carrots into his mouth.

"What're you doing this summer, James?" Peter asked.

"Practicing my Quidditch skills. This time next year, I'll be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, just you wait and see," he swallowed his carrots before smiling at them all.

"What about you, Peter?" Maureen asked.

Peter shrugged. "Homework and lounging around the house mostly. "There are some muggle kids on my block I was friends with before I went here. They think I went to some fancy boarding school for the year. Maybe I'll catch up with them."

"Well," Lily began, "technically you did go to a fancy boarding school. That's what I told my friends at home too. I'm probably going to get my homework done first, maybe spend some time with Snape. Hopefully Petunia will have gotten over her shock and want to spend time with me again." Lily sighed before shoveling a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"I think I'm going to help my brother on our farm this year,' Maureen said. "He promised to show me how to milk cows. Isn't that exciting?" she beamed.

The rest of the group stared at her like she had grown a set of dragon wings. "If you say so," said Evy. "I'm just hoping to spend more time with my sisters. Maybe Beth can teach me how to fly a bit better this summer. What about you, Remus?" Evy asked.

"Um," he said, thinking hard, "Actually I'm not sure. Probably just relaxing as much as I can. I'll have to go visit my uncle and aunt sometime over the summer. But, yeah, that and homework… What about you Sirius?" Remus asked.

"Homework," Sirius mumbled. "Maybe spending some time with Regulus before he comes here next year. Depends on if my parents just lock me in my room until September. Can't have me turning the golden boy of the Black house into something un-Slytherin. I might turn him into a damn Hufflepuff."

"I'm sure it won't be so bad," Lily said.

A bitter laugh escaped Sirius' throat. "Right, of course it'll be alright. That's what everyone says when they know it won't be alright but there's not a damn thing they can do about it."

"Did anyone see if those Ravenclaws did their prank yet?" Peter asked, lightening the mood a little. "We made a truce with them but we haven't seen anything at all."

"I'm sure they'll do it tonight, or maybe tomorrow just before we leave," Evy said with a small smile.

"You know something," Remus accused, his eyebrow quirking in curiosity.

"Nope. I know nothing," Evy said before shoveling a large piece of pie into her mouth. She chewed slowly as the Marauders looked at her, waiting for an explanation. She swallowed. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Right," James said.

"Sure you will," Peter said.

"I think it's about time we got to bed," Lily rose to her feet. "The train leaves early tomorrow, remember?" The girl nodded and left the Great Hal, following behind Lily.

Evy jumped into one of the large, empty compartments and waited for Lily and Maureen to catch up. "Come on, before the train leaves you behind," she shouted out of the window to the Marauders, who huddled around outside, their heads together, undoubtedly plotting something.

"We'll be right there," Remus called out.

"Uh, huh," she said before closing the window and sitting back down.

A moment later, Lily and Maureen popped inside the car. "I wonder when the sweets trolley will go by," Maureen said. "I really want a couple of chocolate frogs."

"I think I'll take a couple home for Petunia. She loves chocolate," Lily smiled.

"Aw, you're such a nice sister," Evy teased, sticking her tongue out. A small bit of envy pricked her chest. Tabby and Beth never brought her anything back from Hogwarts, not even a chocolate frog on one of their trips home.

"Hello ladies," James said, leaning against the doorframe and winking at Lily. "Will you miss me, Lily? You have to go a whole summer without me around and just Snape for company. I'm sure the waiting will drive you mad."

"I think the heat's gone to your head," Lily rolled her eyes.

"That's not a 'no,'" he grinned at her. He stuck his head into the hallway. "Oy, boys, over here!" he waved. A moment later, the rest of the Marauders followed him inside the compartment.

"So, Evy, don't think we forgot," Sirius smiled. "What was with your little smile last night when we mentioned Ravenclaw's prank?"

"Did they even do anything?" Peter asked.

"Well, kind of. They didn't prank the entire school," her small smile came back. "Rather, they only pranked four people in particular."

"Who?" James asked, leaning forward.

"Well, they decided to prank the Marauders," she said.

"Us?" Peter said, blinking his beady blue eyes in surprise. "How? They didn't do anything to us?"

"Oh didn't they?" Remus said. "Think about it. They knew we'd do a huge end of the year prank… Most of them are sticklers and hate surprises, especially pranks. So what better way to make sure we don't prank them then to trick us into thinking they would pull a prank instead? They pranked us by convincing us not to do any pranks at all."

"A prank free end of the year," Lily added in with a soft laugh. James' head whipped around and smiled, watching her.

"Clever," Remus smiled.

"Yeah, my sister has good ideas sometimes," Evy smiled.

"Your sister?" Sirius asked. "Tabby was behind this?"

Evy shrugged. "So she says. I bet it wasn't just her idea, but who knows. They're a clever lot."

The Marauders gaped at Evy as the train whistled and pulled away from Hogwarts. For a moment, their gazes shifted to the window as Hogwarts slowly faded from view, disappearing altogether behind a dark mountain. Homeward bound.

*******Please review! Pretty please! Three reviews after ten chapters is a bit saddening for me. I can't tell if anyone actually like this story or if I should just stop.

***Now that year one is over, I could always use some more ideas for their second year at Hogwarts…


	12. Pepsi

The Hogwarts Express blew its final calling whistle, steam billowing from its engine in puffs of creamy white smoke. Evy's father towered over her and Beth as he stood, staring at the train. His pale cheeks sunk into a ghastly frown, reminding Evy of a skeleton—a mere shell of the man her father had been before their mother passed away last month.

Summer had been hell for Evy. In July, their mother finally passed from cancer. Gone was the bright, bubbly woman, full of energy and life. That was the woman Evy remembered as her mother. Instead, they buried a thin ghost of the woman her mother had been. Her skin was so gray from treatments that no mortician could make her beautiful again.

After the funeral, her father turned cold. He might still be alive, but they buried him along with their mother. He had hardly spoken to Evy since their mother died. He winced when he had to look at her. Evy had been told for as long as she remembered that she looked just like her mother. Suddenly she hated herself for it. She wanted to dye her hair, but her sisters wouldn't let her. She thought about scratching up her face, but what good would that do? She would look like her mother, but with scars, injuries, and that might make her father avoid her for as long as he lived.

In the end, she did nothing. She walked through the house like she was a ghost. Tabby had gone off to Germany along with her fiancé. Yes, she had gotten engaged a week before their mother died. Evy didn't have the heart to mention to Tabby that their mother was so disillusioned from the medicine that she probably didn't understand what had happened, but the engagement made her sister happy and her mother smiled for the first time in a long time.

Beth spent the entire summer at her friend Stacy's house after their mother died, leaving Evy alone with their father. The man seemed to have forgotten she was there. He ignored her when she walked into a room. He never answered her when she spoke to him. She had been scrubbed clean from his existence—or rather he had drifted too far away from reality to see the living daughter in front of him. Instead he spent his time living in his head with the ghost of his dead wife. Evy felt sorry for him. Everyone did.

Beth coughed besides Evy, bringing her out of her daydreams. Beth nodded at her father before heading off to the train. Evy flung her arms around his waist, trying to wring out one last drop of affection from him before she left. "I love you, daddy," she said.

He stared straight ahead at the train. He patted her on the top of her head like she was a dog before letting his hand fall to his side. Evy let go. At least he acknowledged she was there this time.

She turned and rushed off to the train just before it pulled away. Crowds of students leaned out the windows for kisses and good-bye waves. Evy tried to ignore the growing black hole in her chest. She wanted to wave goodbye, but her father wouldn't see her.

With a heavy sigh, she trudged down the long hallway in search of the Marauders and Lily. She found the four boys sitting inside a compartment near the middle. She pulled on a fake smile as she slid open the compartment door. "Hey you lot!" she cheered.

"Evy!" they all shouted with grinning faces.

James bounced up from his seat and embraced her in a tight bear hug. His head rested on top of hers. "When did you get so tall, James?" she asked with a small laugh.

"I grew a bit more. My mum said that if I keep growing at this rate, she's going to be sending me new clothes every week," he grinned.

Peter stood next and hugged her, the small boy was still the shortest of the lot, but he had slowly thinned out some over the summer. "Great to see you, Evy. How was your summer?" he asked before releasing her.

Her frown slipped back into place before she could stop it. "Oh. Fine. Just fine. How about you?" she asked.

Remus and Sirius frowned. Peter looked confused. "Um, ok I guess. Are you sure your summer was…"

"What happened?" Sirius asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and tugging her down beside him.

"Nice hair," she smirked. Sirius' hair had grown outrageously long, curling slightly around the edges as they reached the top of his shirt collar.

"Really, Evy, what happened?" Remus asked, resting his ankle over his knee and leaning forward. His crystal eyes sparkled as he watched her. For a moment they reminded her of the moon. Strange coincidence.

"Um, well, my mom died," she said flatly.

She'd been practicing on telling people about her mom for the last week. For the first two days, Evy practiced in the mirror, bursting into fits of tears as she stared at herself, a younger version of her mother. A few days later, she'd been able to keep her eyes from leaking as she said the words "my mom died," but her bottom lip quivered. Now she could say it calmly, the clench in her heart tampered down enough to keep her emotions in check.

In a flash, all four boys descended onto her in a group hug, each murmuring condolences. Warmth spread in Evy's chest, a glimmer of happiness breaking through the wall of sadness she had built around her over the last several weeks. She missed her friends. Even if her living family had abandoned her, she always had her friends.

"What's going on in here?" Lily asked, Maureen trailing closely behind her.

"Evy's mom passed away," Remus said, a pained look on his face.

The two girls gasped, falling on top of the group hug in a flash, their sweet condolences mixing with the boys'. Heat nipped at the corners of Evy's eyes. Tears sprung free and she went on someone's shoulder, hands patting her on the back, on her head. People surrounded her, for the first time in weeks. She felt loved. She felt safe. And for the first time, she felt like she was allowed to be herself.

"I love you guys," she sobbed, tears smearing on someone's shirt. Peter pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her. She nodded a thanks and blew her nose, the sound echoing around the small compartment.

"We love you too, Evy," Lily said, squeezing her one last time before the group hug broke apart, everyone sliding into a seat.

"God, I'm such a sap," she said, dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

"No, you're not," Peter frowned.

"Let's talk. Maybe it'll take your mind off of it. James, how was your summer?" Lily asked.

James froze in place, his eyes widening behind his glasses in shock. "Me?" he asked. "You want to know about _my_ summer?"

"Um, yeah?" Lily said, leaning back in surprise.

"She asked me first," James beamed, his smile brightening the entire compartment. "She asked me first!" He jumped up in his seat. "Lily asked me, James Potter, about my summer. She cares!"

"Oy, sit down, mate," Remus laughed.

"Last time I ask him a question," Lily grumbled, crossing her arms.

James jumped up and down in triumph, the Marauders laughing. Evy smiled, the odd cheeriness brightening her mood. "Well, are you going to answer?" Evy asked.

"Oh, right," James said. He sunk down in his seat, clasping his hands in his lap like a proper schoolboy. "My summer was very nice Lily. Thank you for asking. And might I inquire as to your summer as well?" he said.

Lily coughed, trying to hide a small laugh. "It was nice, thank you. I spent the summer mostly with Severus since Petunia wouldn't let me get within ten feet of her. But all-in-all it was pleasant."

"No one else would think spending time with Snape would be _pleasant_ ," Sirius scowled.

"Oh? And what did you do all summer?" Lily snapped.

"Absolutely nothing," Sirius grumbled, crossing his arms. "My parents forgot I existed this summer. All they could talk about was Regulus going to Hogwarts this year. I'm sure the golden boy of the Black family will get sorted in Slytherin. Slimy little git of a brother," Sirius scowled deeper.

"I know what you mean," Evy said in a soft spoken voice. "My dad didn't say a word to me all summer. Beth and Tabby are out of the house. It was like I was a ghost, with no one to talk to."

Sirius slid closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and hugging her tight to him. His warm body pressed tight against her, heating the chill in her bones that had settled when her mom passed away. She hadn't felt warm all summer despite the hottest summer on record in nearly fifty years. Sirius touch warmed deep into the marrow of her bones. She smiled a little as Peter cleared his throat and announced that he had a present for everyone.

Surprised, they all leaned on the edge of their seats as Peter pullout out several metal cans, handing a can to each of them. "This is called a Pepsi. It's a muggle drink. See, you shake it to get all the flavors mixed together, then you pull this little tab off and drink it. It's sweet! I grew up drinking these," he smiled.

"Me too," said Lily and Remus in unison.

"So, you shake it like this," they watched Peter shake up the can of soda. "Go on!" he encouraged. All of them shook their soda furiously, Lily and Remus smiling at one another as they did so. They both leaned slightly away from the others as the watched. "Then you pull the top off," Peter said, but kept his can tight in his fist.

All at once, Evy, Maureen, James and Sirius pulled their tabs with excited smiles. "Gah!" they all shouted as jets of streaming liquid burst all over them. Their clothes dripped in the sticky brown stuff and soon the compartment reeked of sugary liquid.

Peter, Lily and Remus burst into fits of laughter, clutching their sides. Tears streamed down their faces as they looked at their friend's shocked expressions. The edges of Sirius' hair dripped with soda. Maureen was wiping some of it from her forehead with her hand. James and Evy just sat there stunned.

"Oh, we are go going to get you back for this Peter," Sirius said before joining in their laughter. Soon the rest of them joined, the happy sounds echoing all around them. "Man, it feels great to be home," Sirius said with a smile. Evy nodded, leaning back against her seat. She couldn't agree more.

*****Thanks for reading! Please, please, pretty please review!


	13. Tears

"I made the quidditch team!" James shouted, pumping his fist in triumph as he clicked his heels in the air.

"Well, that's no surprise there," Evy smiled over at him as he bounced on the heels of his feet, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "You managed to score a goal almost every time."

"Almost," Sirius said. He grinned and jumped on James' back. "Give me a piggyback ride, James."

James shook him off with a deep laugh. "No way!"

"Aw, you're no fun," Sirius stuck his tongue out at James. "How about you, Peter? Want to give me a piggyback ride?"

Peter held his hands up like shields. "Nope. Not happening."

"Remus?" Sirius asked, offering up a charming smile that had made several of the older girls loitering in the corridor look twice.

"No," Remus said, his eyebrow rising in amusement as Sirius groaned.

His black hair swooshed around the collar of his shirt as his head lolled back, his eyes squeezing shut as if he was being tortured. "But I don't want to walk," Sirius whined.

"Sirius, the Great Hall is like ten feet away. See? The door's right here," Evy said, showing off the door like she was a girl on a game show.

"So. Far." He stretched out his hand, his footsteps slowing down. "Need. Food. Can't. Go. On. Won't."

"Watch it," Snape snapped at them, brushing past Sirius and knocking into his elbow. Snape sneered at Sirius as he disappeared through the Great Hall doors, his black robes billowing out behind him.

"Why that little," Sirius huffed, rolling up the sleeves of his robes, which fell back to his wrist. "Why I aughta"

Evy jumped in holding her arms up and stopping Sirius from barging past her. "No, stop. Down, boy. Let's forget about Snape and just celebrate James' new position as Keeper, okay?" She flung an arm around Sirius' shoulders and walked him into the Great Hall, the rest of the Marauders in tow.

"I'm a Chaser, Evy. Not a Keeper," James corrected her.

"Right. The one who plays with the snitch," Evy said.

"That's the Seeker," Peter said. "James is a Keeper."

"I sure am. Right Evans?" James shouted at Lily as he walked past, who was sitting with Maureen at the Gryffindor table. He gave her two thumbs up as she rolled her eyes at him.

"So rude," Lily murmured just loud enough for them to hear.

"Told you, she's in love with me," James said with a big grin. He strutted to a seat at the far end of the table, the rest of the Marauders sitting around him. "Oh, boy!" James said, rubbing his hands together. "I love ham."

"You love food," Remus said as he spread a slice of ham onto his own plate."

"Don't we all," Peter added, making the group laugh. His cheeks widened as he watched them laugh at his joke.

Evy glanced down at the food, then at her stomach. It seemed to have gotten a bit larger since she started her second year. In fact, all of her seemed to be getting larger. She stared down the table at Lily and Maureen. They were thinner, prettier. A small stab of jealousy ate at her as she stared at an untouched spinach and cranberry salad.

" _Mom would be digusted by you."_

" _I can't believe how much weight you've gained."_

" _You'd look prettier if you lost some weight."_

" _Your thighs are starting to blow up."_

Evy shook her head, trying to shake the memories of her sisters' voices. She scooped up a large helping of salad and filled her entire plate with the leafy green stuff.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked, staring at her as though she'd lost her mind.

"Eating," she responded, trying to sound innocent. She straightened her back and clenched her stomach muscles, trying to make her belly look a bit flatter as she speared an oil covered piece of spinach leaf onto her fork.

"That's not real food," Peter laughed, shaking his head at her.

"Of course it's real food," Evy frowned. She took a large bite as the four boys watched her in near amazement.

"All this good food, and you're eating salad?" James asked, his eyes wide with shock.

Evy shrugged. "I wanted salad."

"No one ever wants salad," Sirius said. "Not unless you're a rabbit."

"Or a turtle," Peter chimed in. "I had a pet turtle once. We fed it lettuce sometimes. By my owl got to him one day and…well… It wasn't pretty. Poor Speedy."

"You had a turtle and named it Speedy?" James asked.

Evy's shoulder sank a bit in relief, thankful the conversation had taken a turn away from her plate and onto Peter's odd pet names.

"Evy!" Lily's voice rang out behind her.

"Ah!" Evy jumped in her seat. "Make some more noise next time. You're really a quiet when you walk. You'd be a perfect ninja."

"Silent, but deadly," Peter snickered. The boys chuckled while Lily rolled her eyes.

"Are we still studying for potions tonight?" Lily stared down at her, a weirdly intense look in her eyes.

Evy nodded, pushing away her half eaten plate of salad. "Yeah, how about now?"

Lily shrugged. "Perfect. We'll see you later boys."

"Bye Evans!" James shouted as Lily and Evy walked away from the table.

"I don't know how you can be friends with that git," Lily mumbled to Evy.

"We all ask the same thing about you and Snape," Evy replied.

Lily shrugged, her crimson hair falling off her shoulder and sliding into a curtain behind her back. "Snape is a really nice person. He's been friends with me long before Hogwarts. You'd like him too, if you gave him a chance."

"You'd like James too if you gave him a chance," Evy murmured as they walked up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

"Doubt it," Lily responded before the stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Ilvermorny," Lily said and the portrait swung open. "Let's go upstairs to our dorm. It will be quieter."

Evy followed Lily up the stairs to their room. She entered and Lily kicked the door closed behind her. "So what do you want to go over?"

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you mean?" Evy asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and pulling out her potions textbook.

"At dinner," Lily said. "I don't think I've seen you eat a green thing since you started Hogwarts."

"You're watching what I eat?" Evy asked, her eyebrow rising in surprise.

"No, but I've never seen you eat just a salad," Lily said.

Evy shrugged. "I gained a bit of weight over the summer. I'm watching my weight."

"You're not fat," Lily glowered.

Evy stared at her friend, watching Lily's green eyes blaze with annoyance, her frown etching a deep line in her mouth. "I never said I was fat."

"You didn't have to," Lily said. "The baggy clothes. Exercising twice a day, every day. The salad. Your five in the morning runs, which wake the rest of us up, by the way."

Evy blushed staring down at her feet. The laces on her left foot were loose, ready to untie at the slightest tug. "So?"

"Evy, I don't know why you started this, but you need to stop," Lily said, walking across the room and sitting next to her friend. "You need to eat normal and exercise normal. We all do. But I saw how you fidgeted at dinner, trying to hide yourself behind your robe. You're not fat."

"My sisters said I was getting fat," Evy sighed. "Over the summer. Beth said I should start playing quidditch with her so I'd lose some weight. And Tabby said I shouldn't eat so much. She says I eat like a boy."

Lily gasped, her arm wrapping around Evy's slumped shoulders. "That's a horrible thing to say."

Evy shrugged. "But they're right," she said.

"No, they're mean," Lily said. "Your whole family is lost without your mom, Evy. They were being mean to you, and no matter what, that's not a good enough excuse for them to pick on their baby sister. They we being mean, and you know it."

Evy shook her head, poking at her stomach. "No, they're right, Lily."

"Stop it," Lily snapped. "Evy, there is nothing wrong with you."

"Yes, there is," Evy's voice broke, tears blurring her vision.

"No, there is not,' Lily said, gripping her friend's shoulder tighter.

"Yes there is!" Evy snapped, a tear streaming down her cheek.

"Oh, Evy." Lily voice filled with sympathy as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I miss my mom," Evy sobbed, breaking down into a heaping, crying puddle on her bed. "I miss my mom." She threw herself down, her head buried in her pillow.

"Shhh," Lily said, her soft voice comforting Evy. She moved Evy's hair from her face, letting it rest in a blonde wave down her back. "Of course you miss her. It's ok to miss her. You all miss her."

"She was the only one I could talk to," Evy hiccupped between sniffles. "She loved me. My dad hasn't even looked at me since I died. He said I look like her."

"And wasn't you're mom very thin from her treatments?" Lily asked.

Evy nodded. "She looked like a skeleton. A living skeleton. It was horrible."

"Maybe that's one of the reasons your sisters picked on you. You looked like your mom, before she got sick."

Evy shrugged. "I don't know. But I miss her Lily. I feel so alone."

"Lily bent over and hugged Evy. "You're not alone. You always have me and the Marauders. We're here for you, Evy."

A knock at the door stopped Evy from responding. "Lily, Remus asked if he could join… What's wrong?"

"Evy's upset about her mom," Lily said.

"Oy, boys!" Maureen shouted down the steps. "Put those books away. We've got some bucking up to do."

"Evy, think you're up for it?" Lily asked.

Evy nodded. "Yes, I really need a distraction right now." She sat up, sniffling and wiping her tears on the sleeve of her robe. "I don't want to do homework. I need to go out and do something."

Lily smiled at her, her green eyes twinkling with sympathy and a layer of unshed tears. "Good. Cause of there's one things those boys are good for, it's a laugh. Let's go." She gripped Evy's forearm and tugged her out of bed and down the steps.

"Come on boys," Lily said with a cheery smile, still dragging Evy through the portrait hole. "Let's go have some fun."

**** Hi all! Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I promise I will get some more story out there soon. I've been working on another project, an erotic romance novella, "For I Have Sinned," which will be published on Amazon, iBooks and Barnes and Noble on January 10, 2017.

**Please please review!

*****Thank you all so much for reading. I'm sorry I haven't updated in sooo long, but that's because I have good news! I'm getting published! My debut novella, "For I Have Sinned" is set to be published on January 10, 2017. It's an erotic novella about a nun… Mature audiences only. More info to come!

Please please please review!


	14. Kitchen

Evy hurried behind the Marauders with Lily and Maureen coming up behind her. The seven Gryffindors rushed down a hallway towards the basement. "Come on," James said, bouncing excitedly. "Hurry it up, will you?"

"We're practically running, James," Lily huffed. "We can't run any faster."

"Where are we going?" Evy asked as she jogged along, catching up with Remus.

"Knowing James, probably the Quidditch pitch," Remus murmured, walking briskly. Evy hadn't realized just how much taller Remus had grown over the summer, but he towered over the rest of them, his long legs keeping pace with the others at a brisk walk.

"When did you get so tall?" Evy blurted out without thinking. Her stomach knotted, knowing what she said was very, very rude. "Sorry, I—"

Remus laughed, the warm sound bouncing off the stone walls as they rushed down another flight of steps. "God, I missed you over the summer, Evy."

"Hurry up," Sirius barked at them as he ran faster, rushing past James and racing towards the end of the hallway. "We're here." Sirius stopped, waiting for the rest of them to catch up.

James thumped Sirius on the back as the two of them watched the other Gryffindors come to a sudden halt in front of a portrait. "Brilliant idea, Sirius!" James' voice echoed down the hall, bouncing off the centuries old stone and warping into some weird sound.

"Where are we?" Evy asked, staring at the large picture of a bowl of fruit towering behind the boys.

"Evy, dearest, since you're in need of some bucking up," James began.

"And you certainly need some cheering up,"' Peter agreed with a smile.

"Sirius here has decided to let you, and the other girls, in on a little secret?"

"Is that what he calls it?" Maureen whispered to Lily.

"Calls what?" Remus asked.

Lily and Maureen giggled while Sirius shushed them.

"Boys," Evy rolled her eyes with a smile. Already her chest felt lighter, like a weight had lifted from her shoulders.

"We have decided to show you one of the best rooms in Hogwarts!" James tossed his hands up in the air, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He nearly vibrated with a hum of excited energy.

"Well, where are we?" Evy asked, crossing her arms and staring between James and Sirius.

"Come here and we'll show you." Sirius grabbed Evy's wrist and yanked her closer to the portrait. "See the apple? Slap it. Like you're giving it a high five"

"You want me to high five the apple?" Evy's eyebrow rose with a bit of skepticism.

Peter's brows scrunched close together. "But I thought"

"Shhh." Remus nudged Peter in the ribs and smiled at Evy. "Go on."

Evy glanced over her shoulder. Lily and Maureen watched her with curious gazes. The boys bobbed up and down in excitement.

 _Slap!_

Evy's palm stung a tiny bit as her hand pulled away. "Well, that was rather rude!" A knight bouncing on a fat pony clopped into the edge of the portrait. "I daresay madam, you owe that poor piece of fruit an apology."

"Excuse me?" she asked.

The boys began to laugh, the sound echoing around the walls as they watched the knight face off with Evy, who stood two feet shorter than him. "I had a feeling he was going to show up," James said, clutching his ribs.

"Whenever a fight is about to begin, always call on Sir Cadogan," Sirius laughed with a tear streaming down his face.

"This isn't funny," Evy said, turning around to face them. "What did we come here for?"

"I say, you dare turn your back during a fight! Coward! You rogues!" Sir Cadogan side stepped, yanking his sword from its scabbard, which slipped from his grip and fell to his side with a muffled thump. He bent over, his armor clanging nosily as he reached for his weapon. "Have at thee!"

"And you would fight a lady?" Lily asked, stepping beside Evy.

"Why…" Sir Caodgan froze for a moment, glancing from slot in his helmet.

"No noble knight, particularly a knight of the round table, would dare to fight a lady, right?" Lily crossed her arms and stared at Sir Cadogan. She began tapping her foot impatiently, to which the boys began to howl with laughter.

"She's going to fight him," Peter chuckled.

"She looks like McGonagall about to give him detention," Sirius cracked.

"I'll save you, damsels in distress!" James laughed as he jumped to his feet, going toe-to-toe with Sir Cadogan. "How dare you challenge my lady?"

"I'm not your lady," Lily winced.

"We have this under control," Evy rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip as she watched James stare up at the large portrait.

"Draw your sword, you dog," Sir Cadogan howled. He parried with his sword before falling over, crashing onto the bottom of the portrait with a clumsy _thunk._

"Let's get going now. I've worked up an appetite." James stepped forward and tickled the pear in the portrait, which swung open into a large room.

"Really? All I had to do was tickle the pear?" Evy crossed her arms, glaring at Sirius.

"Well you really gave that apple a hard slap. I'm sure it will be bruised tomorrow," he smirked.

"Oh, please no bad fruit puns," Maureen grimaced as the Gryffindors entered the room, the portrait swinging shut behind them.

"Orange you glad he didn't say to slap the banana?" Remus shook his head as he ducked below some of the stone ceiling. The room was damp, dimy lit, with low walls and bits of light coming from torches.

"It's like a hallway in Alice in Wonderland," Lily said.

"Or Willy Wonka," Remus added.

"What are you two talking about?" James asked, turning and glaring at the two of them. "We don't understand that sort of muggle stuff."

"We could so speak in code and they wouldn't get it," Remus said, nudging Lily in the ribs with a smile.

"Oh we should try it," Lily said.

"Quit flirting with my girlfriend," James huffed.

"She's not your girlfriend," Evy and Maureen chimed in unison.

"Will all of you shut up," Sirius snapped. "I'm starving. Hello? House elves?"

"Students" A small squeak of a voice chimed in somewhere ahead of them. "Everyone up! We have students. Hungry students who need food!" Evy glanced over James's shoulder. He'd gotten taller too. She saw the scuffle of little bodies.

"House elves!" she gasped.

"Aren't we supposed to ignore them?" Lily asked. "That's what my books said. You have to ignore house elves or else they won't come back. And thanking them is an insult."

"Who on earth wrote that nonsense?" James said. "It's rude not to thank house elves. They work hard."

"Some of them do anyway," Sirius grumbled. "Can we get some food please? Something sweet."

"And chocolate," Evy chimed in. She shrugged at Sirius as he glanced over his shoulder, strands of his ebony hair glinting in the torch light. Evy's mouth went dry as she watched his grey eyes glittering like precious stones in a cave. "I like chocolate," she said lamely.

Her stomach fluttered as he smiled at her. "And someone with chocolate," he added.

"Yes Master!" the squeaky voice answered.

"So, how's this for bucking up Sunshine?" Sirius turned to Evy, that smile still glued to his face as he stared down at her. When did everyone get so tall?

"This is great. Thanks for brining me here," she blushed, glad the light was dim enough he wouldn't see her face heating pink.

"Yeah, thanks for brining us," Lily added with a cough beside them. She smirked as she stepped aside and sat on a flat rock like a chair.

"Something with chocolate Miss?" A small house elf, dressed in a burlap sack gazed up at Evy with watery eyes and a self-satisfied smile. His ears flopped from side to side as he stared up at her.

"Thank you," Evy said, taking the small plate he offered her. A slice of cake, truffles, pieces of chocolate bark, a small bowl of chocolate ice cream and a miniature chocolate cupcake lined the plate in a pretty pattern like the sun.

"Say, what about the rest of us?" Peter sat down beside Lily. "We're hungry too."

"Yes, yes. What can we get the Masters and Misses?" Half a dozen house elves rushed up in excitement to take orders. Soon the gang was sitting around with the house elves, chatting and laughing.

Evy's stomach relaxed, her chest expanding as a bubble of happiness grew larger inside her. She needed cheering up more than she realized. Maureen laughed while Remus and James poked one another with the edges of their dull forks. Peter and Lily chatted about the new term of potions class.

"Feeling better?" Sirius asked softly, his voice barely a whisper beside her.

"Yes, thank you," she said, turning to face him. His eyes glittered with something more than his usual mischief. Kindness. Friendship. Something she didn't understand. "Chocolate helps," she teased, holding up her nearly empty plate.

He chuckled, the warm sound coating her insides like hot fudge and warming her from head to toe. "You're welcome." He reached down, his pinky finger brushing against hers for the briefest moment.

Evy's skin tickled, small sparks warming her skin where they touched, like sitting by a camp fire.

"We should get back," Lily said to the group.

Sirius pulled his hand away and gripped his plate tight with both hands, his smile gone. "Right," he said, jumping to his feet.

The balloon in Evy's chest deflated. Had she done something wrong? With mumbled protests and a chorus of thanks to the house elves, the Gryffindors shuffled out of the portrait.

"Damn, it's after curfew," James said.

"Language," Remus snapped.

"We need to—" Peter paused as he looked down. A cat stared up at him and hissed. "Mrs. Norris!"

"Who thought it was a good idea to get Filch a bloody cat?" Sirius growled.

Mrs. Norris hissed at Sirius and rushed off.

"We need to get out of here," Maureen said.

"Right, we should get back to the common room and—" Remus began

"Students out of bed!" Filch's voice hollered from down the hallway.

"We need to go," Lily said, gripping James' arm and pulling him down another hallway.

"Let's go back to the kitchens," Remus suggested.

"Every man for himself!" Peter shouted as he ran down a hallway.

"Peter, the common room is the other way!" Remus and Maureen ran after him, but Peter was quick, rounding a corner and fled out of view. Maureen and Remus followed.

"We need to get back to the common room," Lily panicked.

"Come on!" The four of them fled down a hallway as Filch's lamplight turned into view.

"The tyrants fled! This way, good sir!" Sir Cadougan shouted from the portrait behind them.

"Tattle tale!" Evy shouted at the knight.

"Miscreant fruit slapper!" he shouted back.

The four of them ran to the stairwell where two sets of stairs split into two odd hallways, neither of which led to the common room.

"James, go right," Sirius shouted. He grabbed Evy's arm and pulled her to the left stairwell. They ran up the steps two at a time and turned into another hallway.

"I've got you!" Filch's voice echoed behind them as he hurried up the stairs.

"Quick, in here." Sirius tugged Evy's arm ahrder, pulling her into a closet and quietly closing the door.

"Where are those little brats?" Filch shouted as he reached the top of the steps. The light of his lantern shove through the crack at the bottom of the door.

They froze, watching the light fade further down the hallway as Filch hurried past them. The squeak of his lantern and his muffled footsteps died away. A minute later, they finally let out a collected sigh.

"That was close," Sirius whispered.

"He could still be out there," Evy said, sitting up against the wall.

"You think so?" Sirius asked. "I don't hear anything."

"There's also bloody Mrs. Norris," Evy scowled.

"Maybe we should just wait them out?" Sirius suggested.

Evy yawned. "Good idea."

They sat in silence, the closet getting darker and darker as the summer sunset faded and the castle grew dark.

Evy's eyelids fluttered closed, the world going dark around her. Somewhere above her, she heard Sirius' voice crooning. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…"


End file.
